


One to All

by Tinytokki



Series: Treasure (The Pirate Chronicles of ATEEZ) [3]
Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: ATEEZ (Band) Are Pirates, Action/Adventure, Age of Sail, Alternate Universe - Age of Sail, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Pirate, Angst, Battle, Character Death, Dark Magic, Demonic Possession, Drama, Fate & Destiny, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Gunshot Wounds, Historical Inaccuracy, Humor, Islands, Pirates, The Royal Navy, Treasure Hunting, Violence, War, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-24
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2021-01-02 15:23:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 61,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21163838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tinytokki/pseuds/Tinytokki
Summary: They say no one ever writes about the return journey, but leaving their Wonderland isn’t the end of the ATEEZ’s troubles. When a shadowy threat follows them back around the world, Hongjoong begins to grapple with a truth he’s known all along.Maybe some things are best left buried.





	1. Wonderland

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A fiery pink blazed across the sky against a blueish violet backdrop and it amazed him how loud the colours of the sunset were in the silence of the sea. “This is a magical place,” San whispered from beside him as they laid out their blankets for a night on the sand.

“Captain, I think you should see this.”

There was nothing in Seonghwa’s voice that betrayed his feelings toward whatever it was he had found, and that made Hongjoong awfully curious.

He arose from where he had been washing himself off in the sparkling cerulean stream and shook the water out of his hair. “What is it?”

Seonghwa threw a quick supervising glance at the other boys who still splashed around before beckoning Hongjoong closer. “Take a look at what I found.”

“Seonghwa! Wooyoung keeps splashing me!” Seonghwa rolled his eyes fondly at San’s complaint and yelled back, “Ask him nicely to stop it!”

Switching seamlessly to the task at hand, he led Hongjoong over to the hole in the ground they had exhumed the treasure chest from. The older boy had been in the process of shovelling all the sandy grains of soil back into place when he had discovered something.

“A compass?” Hongjoong took the hand sized trinket from the boatswain and examined it.

Immediately, he noticed something was wrong. “It’s not pointing north.”

Seonghwa laughed nervously and looked over at the captain. “How is that even possible?”

“I don’t know, but...” Hongjoong was hesitant to ask, and allow another seed to grow into a fruit in his mind. “Do you think it’s possible—”

“—Eden has something to do with it?” Seonghwa picked the shovel up off the ground and resumed tossing dirt into the empty hole in the ground in response to Hongjoong’s silence. “You would think that, wouldn’t you? Maybe I shouldn’t have shown you the compass.”

Hongjoong frowned at him and closed the lid to the rusty, ancient thing. “That’s not fair. You have to admit there’s something about this.”

“Something magical maybe,” Seonghwa patted the ground a few times more than was necessary. Sweat was dripping off of him but he ignored it. “We could have the mystic take a look at it on our way back to the mainland.”

Hongjoong snorted at the suggestion. “Because she was so useful the last time.” A smirk teased the corners of his lips. “You know which direction it’s facing?”

“We are not following it,” Seonghwa snatched the compass back and gave Hongjoong a look that left no room for argument as he dropped his shovel.

The captain held up his hands defensively. “No, I’m keeping my promise. We go back to the mainland. Mingi has debts to pay, and Yunho has a little brother to support. I won’t go back on my word.”

Seonghwa’s gaze was on the ground. There would come a time when he would have to figure out where he was meant to go. Back to the castle? Back to his old village? Or somewhere else? He watched the grass wave in the breeze and swallowed back his doubt. It would work out when it needed to and not a moment sooner.

“Come on and wash off. You’re all sweaty now,” Hongjoong’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

“Right...” Reality caught up with him, and Seonghwa followed the younger boy back over to the stream where the other officers were climbing up a neighbouring cliffside.

“Watch this!” Yunho yelled down before throwing himself off the side and hurtling into the water below. Hongjoong and Seonghwa both gasped and ran towards the water. “Is he alright?” Seonghwa was fighting the stream to get to where Yunho disappeared. “Is the water deep enough?”

“It’s great!” Yunho surfaced and flapped his arms around like an excited puppy. “You should try it!” He scurried out of the water and back over to the rocks that led to the overhang. San was preparing to jump, pounding his chest and shaking out his limbs as if it would give him more confidence.

“Come on already,” Yeosang mumbled and gave a quick shove to the younger boy’s back. San shrieked as he tumbled down, but righted himself to land safely underwater and then popped up with a massive smile on his face.

“Please be careful,” Seonghwa cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled up to the younger boys before taking a cautious step back and chewing on his lip.

“Why don’t we join them?” Hongjoong giggled and went to get a boost onto the rocks from Jongho. “No thank you,” Seonghwa’s glare followed him up the cliffside and he crossed his arms defiantly. “I’m quite alright down here where it’s safe.”

He watched anxiously from below as all the others converged on their leader, picking him up despite his complaints and preparing to hurl him off the side and into the deep blue pool below.

“Three...two...one!”

Hongjoong flew through the air and plunged into the water, joyous shrieks and laughter from his team filling his ears before they were submerged. He came up with such a happy face, Seonghwa had to give it a try as well. It took some help for him to get up to the top but eventually he swallowed his fear and let himself fly through the air. It felt like true freedom.

The fun filled day came to a close with some exquisite roasted meat courtesy of Seonghwa who requested some help in building the fire for them to all sit around. Bellies full and hearts happy, they lined up on the bluff at the beach to watch the sunset.

“This has been the most amazing day,” Yunho sighed contentedly. “Would it bother anyone terribly if we stayed for a few more?”

Mingi nodded at this suggestion and turned to Hongjoong. “No one’s in a hurry to get home. I don’t have a problem with spending a bit more time on the island.”

Hongjoong looked at their expectant faces and smiled. He wasn’t too surprised, having noticed how much fun they were having on this paradise island of no responsibilities or wanted posters.

“There’s still a good bit of ground to explore,” Yeosang chimed in. “It would be a shame to come all this way and not scout anything out.”

“Well, of course we can stay longer! Is anyone against it?” Hearing nothing, Hongjoong clasped his hands together. “That’s it then. We stay for the rest of the week and the crewmen can be free to join us.”

A cheer broke out, followed by some silly dancing and a loud sailing song chanted at the top of their lungs. Everyone joined in and the celebrations continued until the sun disappeared behind the masts of the ATEEZ.

Wooyoung’s vocal cords pained him and his feet felt like they were going to fall off by the end but something about this pristine and wild utopia refreshed and energised him so completely that he could barely feel his tired limbs and only lay down when everyone else had exhausted themselves.

A fiery pink blazed across the sky against a blueish violet backdrop and it amazed him how loud the colours of the sunset were in the silence of the sea. “This is a magical place,” San whispered from beside him as they laid out their blankets for a night on the sand.

“It’s unlike anywhere I’ve ever been,” Wooyoung agreed. “No, I mean really!” San flopped down and gestured to the natural world all around them. “There’s magic here. The source of magic is in the East, and this is the closest we’ve ever been to it.”

“Look!” A cry from Yeosang interrupted their conversation, but they both swivelled their heads around to spot whatever it was he was looking at. Magnificently overgrown species of flowers surrounded their clearing, the blooms opening up wider and wider as the sunlight waned. Their petals glowed a translucent turquoise that cast a luminous spell over their sleeping area and mesmerised the members. “Phosphorescent flowering plants!” Yeosang explained.

San nudged Wooyoung in the side. “Magic.”

The boys all snuggled up into a pile once again, a pleasure they hadn’t had since the Fortress dungeon, this time in much better circumstances. Various conversations went on until they dropped one by one into the rhythm of sleep. San angled his sleeping position in such a way that Wooyoung had no choice but to pet his hair until his breath slowed and his eyelids drooped. It didn’t hit any of them that there should be crickets chirping in the bushes nearby.

Eventually, Yunho’s snores lulled him to sleep as well and only the oldest hyungs were still awake. The two of them were the lucky ones, because as they lay in comfortable silence the cloudy canopy cleared and ribbons of green and lavender stretched across the sky. “An aurora!” Hongjoong breathed in pure delight.

“This far south? That’s magic,” Seonghwa gazed up at it in wonder. The way it glided through the sky and wrapped around the purple stars brought an instant sense of comfort that loosened the eldest’s tongue.

“I’ve been thinking,” Seonghwa confessed to Hongjoong after a few minutes, who cracked open an eye in curiosity. The older boy realised now he would actually have to explain himself and sighed quietly.

“I don’t really want to go back home, but... well... I want to know if everything’s alright. And how my old friends are doing. My brother, my parents.”

Even just mentioning them brought back a lot of confusion and turmoil he would much rather leave at sea, so Seonghwa took a steadying breath before continuing. “I just figured if everyone else is going home for awhile or visiting elsewhere, maybe I should try... something.”

He couldn’t guarantee that it would be reconnecting with the royal family and his birth relatives, or even reconciling with the woman who called herself his mother. But he could try something. Something small like finding out what happened to the old merchant he worked for what seemed like ages ago now.

“That’s better than nothing,” Hongjoong agreed with a reassuring squeeze on his shoulder.

“I’m always so angry at them,” Seonghwa admitted. “But Wooyoung said something back in the Doldrums that gave me second thoughts.”

“What did he tell you?” Hongjoong’s voice was so quiet his breath barely tickled Seonghwa’s hair.

“Maybe my brother did realise I had been switched. Maybe he has been looking for me ever since, and he just hasn’t found me yet.”

This was certainly food for thought and Hongjoong was silent for a moment before admitting, “That could be the case. I don’t know how you’d want to go about tracking him down, but... it might not be like you expect.”

Hongjoong was choosing his words carefully, not wanting to sound selfish but afraid in some deep part of him that Seonghwa would take off and leave him alone when they reached the mainland.

Seonghwa saw through his words and shifted uncomfortably. “I suppose.” He turned his back on Hongjoong with a soft, “Goodnight.”

Hongjoong screwed his eyes shut, exasperated. The older boy always knew too much even when the captain said nothing. It was like he could see into Hongjoong’s soul.

Eventually Seonghwa nodded off and Hongjoong rested in a moment of solitude, just him and the distant aurora, fading into the black background of the night sky.

He looked at each of his members’ faces and a smile graced his own. He could see past the sleepy pouts and furrowed brows to an unexpected kind of treasure.

Together in their utopia, it occurred to Hongjoong that in a way his work was already done. There they were, truly happy, in a world where true happiness was thought to be unattainable. Despite chains and battle and struggle, they were all alive and whole. It created an uneasy mixture of joy and sadness inside him as he watched them sleep.

It had taken him too long to realise it, but they had made it. Treasure or no treasure.

What would it be like when they returned to the west? Would they all leave him and return to their lives, their families, their prospects? He didn’t have any of those things now, so where would that leave him?

Hongjoong decided not to think about it. That verdict wouldn’t be in for several months at least. He simply snuggled closer and let it all go. Sleep washed over him in its cleansing folds for a nice long stretch that remained unbroken until dawn touched the peaks of the palm trees.

It was Seonghwa who shook the Captain awake with concern written all over his face. Hongjoong didn’t need any more explanation to follow him away from the campsite to a secluded area of the beach where they could speak freely.

“I just went back to the ship to fetch some food for breakfast and...” he shook his own head in amazement until Hongjoong nodded for him to go on. “The mainsail— it’s all torn up. Completely useless. I asked around but none of the men have the faintest what happened to it.”

Hongjoong turned to squint at the silhouette of his beloved ship where it was anchored and groaned quietly. It was too early for this. “Someone on board must have done something. It didn’t storm last night; the wind wasn’t even strong.”

“Hongjoong, it looks like...” Seonghwa was struggling to find the words. “Like an animal got into it. It’s shredded, the kind of shredded you can only do with claws or a very ragged sword.”

They had a true mystery on their hands. “Come to think of it, I haven’t seen any animals at all on this island,” Hongjoong was lost in thought, but Seonghwa made a suggestion regardless.

“Yeosang wanted to explore. You could ask him to take a few others and scout the place out. Maybe he’ll report back that there is a massive, dangerous, clawed, island animal in the vicinity that can also swim and is quiet enough to sneak on deck and destroy our mainsail for no apparent reason.” As Seonghwa listed the attributes, they began to sound more and more ridiculous. “What kind of creature has even half of those qualities?” He grumbled and returned to the campsite to get a fire going for the food.

Hongjoong trailed behind him, not overly concerned. “I’ll get out there today and see what I can do about it.”

The announcement was made over breakfast. “It looks like our stay will be extended indefinitely until I make repairs to the ATEEZ. We were already planning on taking our time here, now it seems we have a solid reason to. Yeosang, I know you wanted to do some exploring,” here Hongjoong shifted his attention to the navigator. “Now would be a good time.”

Yeosang was unfazed by the news and went about selecting his team as the dishes were being cleared away. He hesitated to take both Wooyoung and San but each had expressed interest and he couldn’t very well deny them. Jongho was added as the other level-headed member to round out the scouting team, and once food and supplies had been packed onto their backs, they were off.

To Wooyoung, the foliage seemed like that of any other island, but Yeosang gasped and fawned over everything, scrutinising each leaf and twig like he had never seen one before. By noon they had climbed to the top of the westernmost hill, and clouds drew over the blazing sun to offer them some shade.

Even the stoic Jongho sucked in a breath of amazement as drops of rain descended on them. They weren’t just any drops of rain. A distinct gold hue tinted each droplet that gently cascaded from the heavens and rolled off the trees and blades of grass. The sweet scent of freshly watered earth reached them and Wooyoung was loath to scramble for shelter.

“Golden rain? Have you ever seen anything like it?” Yeosang’s distracted shake of the head was a clear indication that he had not. Wooyoung extended his hand to let the liquid pool in it, watching the sparkly substance swirl in enchantment.

“Magic!” San breathed from next to him, cross eyed as he watched it drip from his hair. “It reminds me of the underwater pools in the Sunken City,” Jongho suddenly said.

“Do you think there’s any relation?” Wooyoung knew it was unlikely that Jongho could answer him, but no one else present had seen the pearly substance in the Sunken City and the entire concept of magic was still very foreign to him. “I can’t be sure. I wonder if the others are seeing this too.”

It felt like any other rain, and the travellers scrambled to find cover from it but watched dumbstruck all the same as glittering gold streamed down the leaves and dripped to the ground. There was a delicate beauty in the way the green landscape soaked in its nourishment, as if it were a shower of golden coins with which to grow a neighbourhood of plants.

San had a legitimate question to ask once the downpour slowed. “If the rain is gold, why are the plants green?”

They had their answer as they journeyed further inland, over the other side of the hill and out of sight of the coast. Verdant green gave way to a spectrum of colourful plants in the thickening forest.

Yeosang inspected them thoroughly and concluded that they contained a kind of dye that gave them such a bold hue and the golden rain did nothing to affect the tint of the foliage.

“We should take some back to dye our hair with!” San was already uprooting the floppy little sprouts and shoving them into his pockets. Wooyoung also ignored Yeosang’s cautions against taking wild magical things they knew nothing about and harvested some plants for his own use. Time to get rid of that washed out purple.

San skipped away to inspect neighbouring fields of pink grass and Jongho followed him at a distance.

“Don’t you think there’s something odd about it?” Yeosang remarked to Wooyoung, giving in to the temptation and pulling a few dye plants up as well. “Everything here is quite similar to how it is back home, with just one or two slight differences.”

“San said it was magic,” Wooyoung shrugged it off. “Haven’t you seen enough unexplainable phenomena to believe in magic by now? Especially with the slave master and his spellbook...”

Yeosang visibly withdrew at this, tensing in clear distress, and Wooyoung repressed the urge to smack himself in the forehead.

Yeosang was touchy about the subject of the Fortress island still, even after months of straight sailing elsewhere. The stain it had left was more stubborn than he had thought.

“Well, no matter,” he began a somewhat clumsy attempt to play it off and patch it up. “I much prefer this type of magic.” A sigh of relief escaped his lips as Yeosang nodded and went along with the change in subject. “Perhaps we should bring some specimen back so the others can see...”

“Over here!” It was Jongho’s yell that sliced through the tension. He had rejoined San. “Pink sand!”

...

“What do you think will happen if I drink it?”

Mingi’s whisper was curious but nervous, even as Yunho goaded him on with an excited nod.

“You remember what happened last time we decided to eat wild food on an uninhabited island,” Hongjoong warned from where he sat on the main deck, repairing the torn sail. Mingi and Yunho had tagged along under the pretence of being helpful but had mostly gawked at the golden rain sprinkling from the heavens and dashed to collect it in buckets.

Hongjoong had to admit it looked every bit as enticing as the hallucination fruit from Maddox’s Island and suddenly worried about Seonghwa, by himself on the beach. Perhaps he should’ve insisted he come along to the ship too, rather than stay alone. Once the thought crossed his mind he shook his head at how ridiculous it was. Seonghwa could take care of himself, he always had. Hongjoong paused in his sewing as it occurred to him that older boy was growing on him.

“—two, three, go!”

The captain’s head snapped up. Yunho and Mingi each had a cup full of golden liquid in their hands, their arms linked as they threw back their magic shots simultaneously.

“No no no!” Hongjoong dropped everything and ran over. “I said not to drink it!”

...

“Seonghwa are you sure about this?”

“Do it.”

Jongho nodded curtly and got to work painting the eldest’s hair a stunning platinum blonde.

They had returned from their day trip as soon as their pockets were full of dye plants and wasted no time getting to work on their appearances. He had already given himself and Yeosang some very sensible shades of brown, and Wooyoung and San were arguing with each other about which colour each of them should dye their hair.

“Blonde would look better on me, why don’t you dye your hair brown?” San pouted and folded his arms.

“Because everyone else is dying their hair brown,” Wooyoung rolled his eyes. “Blonde would look better on me than you for sure! It’s not even an argument. Yeosang, what do you think?”

Yeosang raised his hands in surrender. “I’m staying out of it.”

“I think you should both go blonde,” Seonghwa piped up. “That would balance us out.”

San’s arms dropped as he had a thought. “Brown and blonde are both boring. Maybe I’ll try several things at once...” Wooyoung gleefully snatched the pigmented plant he and San had been fighting over as San rustled through the others he had grabbed.

“Captain incoming!” Yeosang squinted at the horizon and reported back, barely making out the longboats silhouetted with the sunset behind them. “And he’s brought crew members!”

The three who had been on the ATEEZ all day rowed their way to the beach and left the men to unload their things while they joined the other officers at the campsite.

“Seonghwa? I almost didn’t recognise you!” Hongjoong laughed in amazement at his hyung’s transformation. “Did you bring some back for us?”

Yunho was jumping up and down in anticipation until Yeosang, San, and Wooyoung unloaded their prize plants. It was not a question of whether he wanted to dye his hair, but which colour he thought was the most interesting as he examined each one carefully.

Mingi decided on yet another brown, to make his almost grown out blue disappear, and Jongho and Yeosang approved of his choice.

Yunho selected a shade of blue, much lighter than Mingi’s previous deep royal blue, but Jongho took one look at it and shook his head. “You’ll certainly damage your hair with that one.”

It was too late, however. Already San was painting it onto the taller boy with barely controlled excitement.

Once Seonghwa was finished he pulled Jongho and Yeosang aside and whispered a plan to them. “It’s time to cut that hair. When I say go, we grab him and finish it quick. Jongho, have you picked a colour for him yet?”

There was no question who they were talking about, and Jongho answered in the affirmative before they disbanded their secret meeting and pretended as if nothing had happened.

Hongjoong wasn’t paying attention anyway, focused intently on making sure San didn’t destroy Yunho’s hair.

Suddenly a pair of arms seized him and he was spirited away to the side of the pool where he was confronted by his own reflection and the glint of a pair of scissors. “Wait—!”

But it was too late. The trio’s plot was too well executed and in a few moments long locks of sandy blonde fell into the stream and floated away.

“Don’t squirm if you don’t want to cut yourself,” Seonghwa muttered, relaxing his hold on the younger boy as he calmed in realisation.

“Very covert of the three of you,” Hongjoong shot back. “You know I can still assign you to deck swabbing duty!”

“You won’t!” Yeosang smirked and popped into view for a moment before leaving to retrieve something. “You’ll thank us later,” he went on and began dying his captain’s hair.

There was nothing to do but sit around and wait, and once Jongho gave him permission to move Hongjoong peered into the water to catch sight of his reflection. A vibrant red now coated his hair, and he was tempted for a second to dislike it, but couldn’t stop the smile from spreading on his face. The three self-proclaimed hairstylists waited with bated breath for his verdict. “It looks good.”

“It looks good!” “I knew it!” “We told you you’d thank us!” The three chattered and congratulated themselves while Hongjoong turned his head to see it from every angle.

He had to admit he really liked it. There was a youthful vibe around him now, the cherry red a bold statement that could be seen a mile away.

The others seemed to agree when they rejoined them, although San corrected him that he looked more like a strawberry.

The sun descended peacefully, and after the evening meal Mingi dragged the boatswain’s mate along with him and presented him to Hongjoong.

“Gyuwook has a violin with him, I say we have some music tonight!” The ruckus was twice as chaotic with an entire crew dancing along but every bit as enjoyable making fools of themselves and watching each other make fools of themselves. The songs varied in tempo but not in energy, and time flashed by unnoticed.

The festivities were cut short by another sudden rain shower, and it took a few seconds but the officers recognised the droplets to be a different colour than expected. “...Green?”

Wooyoung trained his eyes on the dirt as they ran for cover, curious to see whether the change in colour would have any effect. San was antsy again and volunteered to get firewood as the old wood was now soaked.

It had been a few too many minutes when Yunho decided to go check if the younger boy was alright and a few too many minutes went by yet again, before a frantic San appeared yelling for help.

The rest of the officers hurried along after the panting boy, panic growing at every turn in the road and every shadow that wasn’t their Yunho. Hongjoong couldn’t get a word out of San, but the problem explained itself when they finally arrived at a gorge in the forest where Yunho lay on the ground, tossed around by violent convulsions.

The officers all hovered around him, trying to find some way to help. It occurred to Wooyoung that San was the one who should be able to do something about it and yet had come running to the rest of them. He shook his friend until he met eyes with him. “What happened?”

San regained his voice briefly. “The pit, he looked into the pit...”

“This pit?” Mingi made a move towards the side of the ravine but was dragged back from the edge by a spooked San before he could see for himself.

“Don’t look into it!” San gasped for breath, looking up at Hongjoong in horror. “All the animals on the island. They’re all there, dead.” Wooyoung only half heard the explanation as he knelt, trying to get a response from Yunho.

Yeosang yelled at everyone to stand away from him but Wooyoung itched to try to calm Yunho himself. It was deeply terrifying the way he jerked around involuntarily. The seizing had slowed but still he stared into space until San cautiously approached him and tapped him on the shoulder.

As if surfacing in the sea, Yunho blinked a few times and looked more aware. There was a dark air of shame around him and he said nothing as Jongho helped him up but the pairs of anxious eyes on him won out in the end.

“I’m alright... I think.”

“Yunho, do you remember what happened?” Seonghwa was afraid to raise his voice, but made sure Yunho heard the question. The boy swallowed before shaking his head slowly.

Seonghwa switched tactics. “San, what’s all this about the ravine? He looked down into it and then—”

“—he just dropped and started seizing. Like he’d been struck,” San elaborated as much as he could between whimpers, still unable to get ahold of himself. Mingi had turned the tables and grabbed San’s arms, trying to rub sense into him. “That sounds like—”

“Dark magic.” Jongho was very grave and there was not a trace of sarcasm in his usually humorous voice.

Mingi swallowed at the chill snaking down his spine. “What makes you say that?”

Jongho sighed at his own uncertainty. It seemed there was something in him that could pinpoint it. “I don’t know but it’s definitely dark magic.”

“There’s a difference between dark magic and... normal magic?” Again Wooyoung was clueless to the intricacies of sorcery and no one else was quite equipped to explain it to him.

“It’s just a feeling,” Jongho insisted. “I’ve been sensitive to these kind of supernatural things since the curse fell on me. Even though it’s been lifted, there’s still a connection of some kind. I get a feeling that something is off.”

Apparently Hongjoong got a feeling too, as he finally spoke up with “Let’s get out of here” and led the way back to their campsite. Jongho and Yeosang covered their tracks with broken branches to block the road, in case anyone else should wander off and lay eyes on the convulsion-inducing sight.

The atmosphere was significantly different then, and all the men went to bed without much more fuss and festivity. Wooyoung made sure to select a spot in the sleeping pile that was close to Yunho.

“I lied.”

The whisper sent a trickle of fear down Wooyoung’s spine, but he soundlessly flipped over to face the rigger when he finally spoke. “I do remember something.” Yunho whispered again, and in his eyes Wooyoung sensed fear that he had never seen on Yunho before.

“San. I went to look for him and I found him by the pit. He was just staring into it, completely senseless...” Wooyoung nodded for him to go on when the words got caught. “I turned to see what he was looking at when he didn’t respond and suddenly... suddenly this feeling... like being struck down and losing all control. It was petrifying, I felt completely helpless. Someone else controlled me for what felt like an eternity until my vision returned and there was everyone, staring at me like I’d just come back from the dead.”

“Jongho said it was dark magic,” Wooyoung whispered. “But what I don’t understand is how San was able to set his eyes on a cursed sight and not be affected, when you did the same and were, well, possessed by something.”

Yunho shivered at this. “A dark spirit of some kind? Did it kill all of the animals and wait there in the carcass pile for someone to stumble along?”

Wooyoung shook his head. He still didn’t really know anything about magic but even someone who denied its existence could feel in their bones that something was very wrong here. “At least it’s gone now, whatever it was. Are you sure you’re alright?”

Yunho opened his mouth to answer but hesitated, worrying at his lower lip for a moment. “I think so. Physically, I haven’t found anything wrong. I’m just so shaken up by it. There was a second there when I thought it was the end of me.”

Wooyoung didn’t have the words to tell him everything was alright, so he simply pulled the older boy into a hug and kept him there until they both fell asleep.

Morning came sooner than usual, but it wasn’t the time that confused the officers as they arose but the colour. Wooyoung detangled from Yunho and rubbed his eyes. “Is the sun... supposed to be blue?”

“Impossible! The sun is the sun, no matter which island you see it from,” Yeosang was half-hearted in his logic, submitting that this island really did defy every law of nature. “Something is really wrong here.”

“I think I prefer the sun to be yellow,” Mingi whined as he threw on his jacket. “The blue makes the island grow dark and cold.”

“I think we have a bigger problem!” Jongho’s voice rang out from where he stood looking at the trees. It took some adjusting to be able to see what he was referring to in the blue tinted light but soon their eyes trained on infected foliage radiating out from their campsite.

“It wasn’t like that before,” Yunho had taken a few steps back. They hadn’t been bothered by spirits in the night but it looked as if they had still been here. Reason after reason to prove they weren’t safe on this paradise island anymore. The trouble was that no one knew why.

Seonghwa realised Hongjoong wasn’t laying next to him like normal and panicked for a moment before locating him seated at the tree line, stretching and rubbing his neck. He sighed and rose to join him. “You didn’t sleep.”

There was no use denying it, so Hongjoong simply nodded. “I was keeping watch.”

Seonghwa looked into the forest, dark spaces shadowed in a chilling blue glow, and glanced back at the ship, anchored at a safe distance and now fully repaired. It suddenly struck him.

“There is no predator here. We brought it ourselves. Something magical is tampering with us, and not just any kind of magic. Jongho is right, this must be dark magic.”

It didn’t quite explain why their sails were suddenly destroyed and other strange things were happening, but it seemed to Seonghwa that the good phenomena of this land had been overcome by an unidentifiable source on their arrival, one that poisoned the place and created bad phenomena. He pulled Hongjoong up from the ground and back to the stirring sleeping pile, continuing on. “The problem is once we leave, we can’t guarantee things will stop happening. Until we locate the source, we’ll be bringing the dark magic everywhere with us.”

He was sending the captain a pointed look through his platinum bangs that bordered accusation. Hongjoong yanked his arm out of his grasp. “No, don’t look at me! The crystal was destroyed and that was the end of it. It’s something else causing this.” All the other officers’ heads turned at this.

Seonghwa didn’t have a chance to respond before San appeared before the two, asking for permission to head into the forest in a roundabout way. “Hyungs, you’re not planning to leave yet, are you? We haven’t explored the eastern face of the island yet.”

Yeosang scoffed from where he was starting the breakfast fire. “In order to, we’d have to cross the forest we just blocked off last night. I don’t want to risk encountering evil spirits.”

San turned to him with a pout. “Why don’t we take another way?”

“Like what? The hill? It took us all day yesterday. I say we leave like we intended to in the first place. We’re in more than we bargained for.”

“I agree with Yeosang,” Yunho immediately put in. Jongho and Mingi were already packing their things. “Me too.” “And me!”

“If Yunho isn’t comfortable staying after the events of last night,” Wooyoung waited for Yunho’s nod for confirm. “Then I’m not comfortable staying either.”

Seonghwa and Hongjoong simply looked at each other before the captain turned to the imploring surgeon. “You’ve been outvoted San. Sorry.”

San obediently went to pack his things with a hanging head and Wooyoung left Yunho’s side to do a bit of investigating. “Don’t you think it’s dangerous to stay longer?”

San didn’t look up from where he was forcefully shoving an extra pair of boots into his bag. “No, we can handle it. Yunho just got spooked is all.”

Wooyoung sat down next to him and tried to make eye contact. “But it’s not just the incident last night.” If San was listening, he didn’t show it. “It’s the whole island. It’s turning on us. Even the blue sun is a clear warning we should leave. How do you expect to see the rest of the island in a blue light anyway? And what if it rains red this time, or worse?”

San continued to ignore him, and the feeling in Wooyoung’s gut prevailed that something was very wrong, not just with the island but with San. He thought back to what he had overheard about a potential magical artefact being the cause of this mystical deterioration of the island and his stomach jumped.

“Oh, San. Tell me it’s not you.”

“Very well, it’s not me.” The sarcastic comment was accompanied by a glare.

“San, one of us brought something here that’s causing this.” Wooyoung continued to be ignored, and wondered if he was jumping to conclusions. Where would San have picked up a magical artefact between the North and here?

Frustrated, he went to gather his own things and check that his gun teams were ready to head back as well. It was almost solemn as the half dozen boats set out for the ATEEZ, leaving behind the dying embers of their campfire, the sparkling stream by the cliffside, the colourful fields of dye plants, and a mysterious ravine full of carcasses of all the animals on the entire island.

It was now a tainted paradise, and Wooyoung could only pray the misfortune didn’t follow them on their journey back west.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Long author’s note ahead, TL;DR it’s spooky szn w/ pirateez and Mingi won the spinoff voting*
> 
> Happy (early) Halloweeeen! Tbh I didn’t expect a possession/dark magic kinda storyline to enter the narrative, considering that it spooks me personally quite a bit, but hey I surprised myself. And now for the spinoff results (for those of you who don’t know, I’m writing spinoffs for each character, voting is happening on tumblr!) *drumroll* our winner is!! MINGI!! He barely eked it out yall, so don’t despair if you were rooting for Hongjoong, we’ll get to him (he’ll probably end up with a surprise appearance or two in Mingi’s spinoff, come to think of it) and since I did not make it clear, the results for each member reset at the beginning of each voting period (to ensure that our less voted for members *cough, Jongho* have a chance) This upcoming voting period begins NOW! Members still waiting for their spinoff series debut are Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yeosang, San, Wooyoung and Jongho— and you can vote for the next one by hitting me up on tumblr (@atinytokki) or twitter (@tiny_tokki) and messaging me! Ask box is always open and freetalk is running ;) hope you enjoyed the beginning of part 3 and please leave some love if you did <3


	2. Babylon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A pair of arms latched around him, strong enough to be immobilising. As Wooyoung sucked in a breath to scream for help, a hand clamped over his mouth. His air grew stale in his mouth and panic seized his limbs. He couldn’t get out of this man’s grip and the edges of his vision were shrinking rapidly. One thought surfaced as he sunk into unconsciousness.
> 
> Is this the end?

The mainmast had a coat of chalky black on it, and Wooyoung traced his hands over it in shame. There hadn’t been a shred of evidence that his brother had been part of that naval blockade, and yet Wooyoung had frozen up over it. He hung his head.

What would it come to if he actually did see his brother in combat?

It was a question he had been avoiding ardently, filling himself up with every other distraction to save the worry for later. The crisis that he would go through if he had to choose one over another. Because he truly didn’t know. And he hated that, the fact that it was even a question. 

He hurled arguments at himself, reminders of the kindness of his friends and his own promises to them... but shrunk back every time as the image of his brother’s face, betrayed but gentle in the wake of Wooyoung’s treachery appeared in his mind. Wooyoung could only pray it never came to that.

He was seated in the crow’s nest, taking over for Yunho while San gave him a final check to ensure his sudden seizure hadn’t caused any permanent damage. Crewmen ambled around like insects, tiny and insignificant but members of the machine that worked to run the vessel as a whole.

The charred patches on the mast had clearly been scrubbed at by Hongjoong to try and erase some of the scarring, but it was useless and they burned in Wooyoung’s mind as testaments to his failure. He couldn’t let it happen again.

Someone called his name from the main deck and he looked down to see Yunho standing there, gazing up. Wooyoung stood and slotted his foot into the netting but Yunho shook his head and climbed up to meet him. 

“It’s alright, you can stay,” Yunho breathed, as if speaking his request would give him away. “I don’t mind. I’d like the company.”

So he admitted it.

Wooyoung could tell Yunho had been on edge ever since leaving the island. It sat in his stomach, a twinge of concern that the once unshakeable boy now looked over his shoulder at the shadows, afraid of losing control of himself again.

Wooyoung nodded wordlessly and re-situated himself in the crow’s nest, sharing the space with the older boy. Yunho’s bright blue locks rustled in the wind as he sighed and sat down. Wooyoung passed a hand lazily through his own newly bleached hair. He had won out against San in the end for the blonde colour, and it still surprised him every time a few ashen strands fell into his face.

He liked the way Yunho’s brow smoothed in the ocean breeze, a weight lifted off his shoulders. “You’re alright?” 

“San said everything is normal.”

Wooyoung hummed quietly at the response. He hadn’t been asking about the physical evaluation. “There’s nothing that can get you out here,” his voice was lighthearted, but Yunho knew what he was getting at and blushed.

“You heard Seonghwa. Whatever dark magic came over me is still here, we’re likely bringing it with us...” Yunho trailed off with a pointed look at San, who remained on the main deck leaning over the railing and staring at nothing. It was uncharacteristic of the boy who usually threw himself into one task or another.

Wooyoung shivered, and not from the wind whipping through the sails. “He denies everything. And I’m not even sure exactly what to accuse him of.”

Yunho was shaking his head. “San did something. We can only pray the spirits leave us alone and don’t seek retribution for it.” 

It was a perilous situation, and so difficult to get anything out of San once he’d made up his mind to avoid the question. Wooyoung grasped Yunho’s hand in his. “If he’ll listen to anyone, it’ll probably be one of us.” From the way Yunho was looking at him, it was clear. He would have to bring up the subject himself.

“I believe in you,” Yunho smiled reassuringly. “San will comply for your sake, he’d do anything for you.”

...

It turned out that Wooyoung didn’t need to ease into the discussion. He walked into the infirmary after supper and found San hunched over his desk, candles burning low, scanning a crinkled page with the magic glass from the Sunken City.

“So that’s what happened to the glass.” Wooyoung hadn’t meant to let the words slip out, but as soon as they did, San jumped a foot into the air and whipped around defensively. 

“When did you get here?”

Wooyoung considered it best to leave that a secret and approached casually. “Doesn’t matter. What are you working on here?”

San still shook slightly, and didn’t have enough time to pocket the pages away before Wooyoung was leaning over his shoulder. “Wooyoung...” he sighed, wringing a hand through his hair as the younger boy took the liberty of grabbing them and inspecting them for himself. “It’s nothing—”

“It’s spellbook pages!” Wooyoung realised. “The slave owner, these are his spellbook pages! You saved them from the fire when Yeosang went to destroy them, didn’t you?”

Wooyoung looked up, eyes cold and severe as he waited for a reaction. San fell limply back into the chair he had been occupying, surrender maybe, or perhaps just regret.

“Why are you keeping this a secret, San?” Wooyoung’s voice had lost its edge. Only soft concern remained, and it enticed San to meet his eyes.

“It wasn’t supposed to go this far.”

Wooyoung found himself in a chair, waiting for San to divulge his deepest sins. San’s tongue loosened, he tried his best to explain. “I didn’t let him burn him because I believed they might be useful. And I was right, there is a wealth of information on these concerning magic and I thought magic applied to my healing would be...useful.”

Wooyoung nodded him on.

“I worked in secret because I saw how affected Yeosang was. He spent longer on the slave estate than we did, I’m sure it’s a dark memory for him and the way he reacted to seeing that sorcerer at the blockade... I knew no one could know I was doing this. So I took the magic glass no one else needed anyway and I tried to decipher it and cast the spells myself.”

It was well intended, but such things often have unforeseen side effects, and Wooyoung knew magic in particular was tricky business.

“It was difficult, but I got it working enough to heal topical wounds,” San whispered, guilt dripping from his words.

“But no one was injured between the blockade and the island, how did you...?” It hit Wooyoung all of a sudden.

“No. You didn’t. Tell me you didn’t.”

San was silent.

“San, you injured yourself? To see if this magic nonsense would work? Do you even realise what could have ha—”

“I know what I did. And it worked, so there’s no use being upset over it,” San gritted out, eyes wet and downcast again. He went on, “I tried more and more difficult things until I mastered those, and I didn’t think the dark spirits would take notice because I was only doing good spells but I-I think... I think there’s a dark presence following me around.” His words sped up as he began to spiral out of control, pulled back by Wooyoung’s gentle hands on his shoulders.

“It was a mistake, San. You shouldn’t have done it but we have to deal with the consequences now.” San seemed contrite, but part of him was clinging to the pull of dabbling in sorcery and Wooyoung didn’t like it. “I think we should speak with the other officers.”

San jerked out of his grasp. “Absolutely not. You know what Yeosang will say. And everyone will support him.” Wooyoung tried to argue but San cut him off. “I can figure this out myself. Whatever dark force I created, I can be rid of it. I have to. It killed all the animals on the island, and destroyed our sails, and briefly possessed Yunho—”

“—When he went to find you?”

“Yes... I had gone to try and destroy it because it was ruining everything, it was tainting our paradise and changing things into worse things...“

“...But then Yunho came...“

“...And it just jumped for him! I didn’t know what to do and I panicked— why must I always panic?” Again he sank into his chair with his head in his hands.

Wooyoung paced the room as the pieces came together. “San, maybe if you just stopped using magic entirely—”

“No! No, no, Wooyoung, don’t you see? That would only make it worse! I would have no defence against it.”

“But if your dabbling in magic is what attracted it...”

“Then magic is what I’ll fight it with. I will figure it out, Wooyoung. I just need you not to tell anyone. Please, don’t make me beg. I can do it, I just need time.”

He was staring straight at Wooyoung now. The younger chewed on his lip. San was asking so much of him, and it was probably too late for him to fix it himself, but Wooyoung knew were he in the same position, San would not let him down.

“Alright. But if anything worsens, I’ll have to go to Captain. Tell me what’s happening, San. We can’t let this thing hurt anyone else.”

...

Jongho watched the waves roll and let the scent of the sea fill his lungs. It didn’t matter what he did or didn’t remember about his past when he was on the ATEEZ. This was his home now.

“Ho there, shouldn’t you be in bed?”

He whipped around so quickly he almost lost his balance. It was Wooyoung, strolling up from where he had been in the infirmary with San.

“Drunk, I see?”

“I’m not drunk,” Jongho snapped back quickly. “You just startled me.” 

Wooyoung had a teasing smile on his face as he joined the Master-at-Arms at the starboard rail. “Don’t tell me you’re out of sorts, too.”

Jongho sighed and shook his head. Time to divert attention. “No, I’m better than ever. I just wish we didn’t have to leave that island so soon. It was wonderful while it lasted.”

Wooyoung sobered at this remark. Jongho was right, their brief time in paradise had been violently cut short, but showed just the same what the potential could be. “Do you think there was anything of note on the eastern face of the island?” He asked him.

Jongho tilted his head and considered it. It ultimately didn’t make a difference what they could have found. Every island had a secret, and rarely did the crew discover it, but this utopia had been special.

“Something magical, I think.” Jongho concluded. For some reason, Wooyoung was frowning. Jongho waited patiently for him to speak up, watching his eyes dart between the crests of the waves. 

“How can we stop a magical force? Must it always be a sacrifice?”

Jongho’s eyebrows lifted at this. Not a question he had been expecting, but he gave it some thought and tried to answer. “I only have experience with one. And it was more a magical accident than any sort of devious sorcery.” He scrunched his eyes shut as all the frustration of memories slipping through his fingers like sand resurfaced. “The solution was never clear cut. I wasn’t even the person who found it, and then I was powerless to do anything. I wasn’t the one who sacrificed anything for my past to be returned. And now I can’t even see what’s coming. Anything could be on the horizon.”

Jongho didn’t like feeling powerless, Wooyoung could tell from the way his shoulders tensed as he said the word. “There hasn’t been any issue since the North, then? Everything is... back to normal?” _Or as back to normal as it can be_, Wooyoung thought to himself.

Jongho shrugged and turned to face him. “I still feel fine. And I could tell you that Mingi once snuck into my bed because he thought I was his mother back when it was just the four of us.”

Wooyoung let a soft smile play on his lips. That sounded like something Mingi would do. He wasn’t prepared when Jongho started questioning him right back, “What makes you ask about it? The side effects of magic?”

Wooyoung bit his tongue to stop it from stuttering an answer and replied smoothly, “It’s just everything that went on with that island. And the way we left so suddenly... surely everyone else is concerned about it as well?”

Jongho either accepted his answer or simply ceased questioning, turning back to the moonlight reflected on water and nodding distantly. Wooyoung thought he saw suspicion in his eyes and realised it probably made him look like he knew too much. He had promised San not to reveal anything, but now it seemed he was becoming the suspect for dabbling in sorcery. He decided to change the subject back to Jongho.

“Do you relive things, now that they’re back in your head?”

“I try not to,” Jongho answered softly, not turning to look at him. “Not all the memories I got back are happy ones, you know.” Wooyoung swallowed. Perhaps he had pried too far again. But his mouth ran away nonetheless...

“What about the bad ones?”

Jongho didn’t say anything for a long time. Wooyoung was about to tap him on the shoulder to check that he hadn’t fallen asleep standing up when a small voice, much weaker than he had ever heard from Jongho, wafted into the thick atmosphere.

“I ran away.”

Wooyoung blinked.

“I said I was going out to practice, but once I started running I just couldn’t stop.” The boy’s voice was broken, and his head was hanging low. Wooyoung shuffled closer to listen. 

“I hated being home. Once Father started drinking everything was always my fault and he would always beat me for it and one day I just couldn’t take it anymore and I just... I just...”

“You had to go.”

Jongho nodded tearfully and let Wooyoung drape an arm around his shoulders. He had been carrying this memory all this time since the crystal was broken, and had told no one. Wooyoung tried not to be hurt by that fact and rubbed the tension out of the younger’s back. 

“You had to go, Jongho,” he reassured him with every ounce of conviction. “Things have turned out much better for you here than they would have if you’d stayed.”

It took a moment but eventually Jongho nodded and pulled away. “Don’t tell the hyungs, please.” Wooyoung sighed and shook his head. “Does no one else know about this at all?”

Jongho nodded sheepishly, and Wooyoung couldn’t blame him. He clearly wasn’t the type to open up to anyone about anything, and Wooyoung understood the difficulty with comprehending his own home situation.

“I won’t say anything, then. But you should tell them when you’re ready. At least Mingi.”

Jongho nodded in agreement and wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand. Wooyoung tried to lighten the mood. “Well, I think we might as well break into the rum since we’re up anyway—”

“—Hyung, look!”

Wooyoung squinted at the speck on the horizon that Jongho was pointing at. Once his eyes adjusted to the splash of moonlight on the waves, he spotted it. “A Navy ship?”

“You see it, too!” Jongho looked relieved but shot his gaze up to the crow’s nest in confusion. “Why hasn’t Yunho called ‘sail ho’? Is he asleep up there? Yunho!” 

There was movement in the rigging for a few seconds before a sleepy voice called out, “Sail ho!”

Jongho was immediately his spunky self again, rolling his eyes at Yunho for sleeping on the job, spirits lifted at the prospect of action. 

Wooyoung wasn’t quite so sure, watching from the sidelines as the ship grew in the distance. He realised Jongho had been right; something was on that horizon. And it was moving closer.

“I’m not clearing for action yet, it’s just one ship.” Hongjoong was already in the forecastle, swatting Mingi’s hands away from his spyglass.

“What do we do then?” Mingi pouted at him. Hongjoong thought for a second, twirling the glass in his hands.

“Let’s put up the black sails.”

Wooyoung shivered with delight. The ATEEZ was famous for their black sails, even on Si-Hyuk’s ship Wooyoung had heard tales of the small pirate vessel sneaking away in the dead of night from under the Navy’s noses. And now he got to help raise the black sails himself. The stark white was a dead giveaway, and the sooner the ATEEZ was camouflaged, the better. 

Everyone lept into action, a much more alert Yunho joining Wooyoung in the rigging while the deck bound officers looked on anxiously.

“Are we clear for action if we can’t get them up in time?” Jongho tried to compromise. He had been anticipating knocking around some Navy heads.

“If and only if,” Hongjoong conceded. “And still I want you to wait for my signal.”

Wooyoung tried to ignore the thought that stealthily floating by the Navy was a much better alternative to fighting and potentially killing his own brother should they enter combat.

But he wasn’t on that ship, and if Wooyoung could just keep repeating it...

“It’s the ship from the blockade,” Yunho was looking at him with wide eyes. “I’m sure of it.” The two of them finished with the sails and reported to Hongjoong.

“I’m altering course.”

The captain took the wheel in hand and curved south of the white speck on the edge of the sea. “If a blockade ship found us out here, the rest of the fleet may not be far behind.” The air was grim and quiet as the tiny threatening ship disappeared from view.

Hongjoong ordered for the black sails to be left up until dawn, and remained on deck for the rest of the night. “We take no chances,” he responded when Seonghwa tried to drag him away. “I promised to get you home and that’s what I’m going to do.”

Seonghwa suddenly withdrew and Hongjoong realised his mistake. The eldest clearly had yet to make up his mind about his plans once they arrived at the mainland, and Hongjoong had been trying not to influence his decision. 

“Don’t forget to wake me for my watch. And if you catch them on our tail again I want to be the first to know,” the older said, defeated, before retreating to their cabin. Again Hongjoong could only pinch the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

When it came to Seonghwa, he was always messing up.

...

It was two days later when they were spotted again. It was Hongjoong this time, staring out the back of the ship and waiting for the ship to appear.

Around noon, it did.

He called Seonghwa and pointed it out, and then let Seonghwa be the one to inform the crew. Black sails would be useless under the full revealing light of the sun and Hongjoong knew it, so he cleared the cannons for action and watched the men shuffle around like it was happy hour then simply watched and waited.

Suspicion grew in the back of his mind when the enemy drew close enough for Hongjoong to see the individual soldiers, and yet they hadn’t fired. One man stood in the forecastle and stared unwavering. It was the sorcerer from before. Hongjoong stood and went to the railing, staring back just as intently.

“What do you want with us?” He yelled across the gap when the ships drew close enough up to each other. “You have some spells that belong to me.” The man smiled and suddenly his entire appearance flickered. 

It was like a candle that had been gently breathed on, a spark of something else— someone else— peeking through an exterior shell for a split second. Another face from the past. Hongjoong stepped back unconsciously.

It was Babylon.

“You can run,” the sorcerer returned, leaning forward ever so slightly. “But I’ll catch you.”

Hongjoong tore down the steps of the quarterdeck and ran to Wooyoung’s side. “Fire now.” 

Wooyoung hesitated for a split second, completely unsure of what was happening. They had their broadsides, a clean hit would sink the Navy ship there and then. It was clear Hongjoong had no intention of boarding them. He nodded his agreement and cleared his head with a single breath, drawing up his flame to light the fuse.

“They’re gone!” Confusion broke out on deck and Wooyoung glanced up. The entire ship had suddenly disappeared before their eyes. “How did he do that?” The powder monkeys all whispered amongst themselves. “He’s a sorcerer,” Wooyoung groaned. “And now he’s following us.”

He turned to where Hongjoong had been standing, expecting him to answer, but the captain, too, had disappeared, back to the quarterdeck where he called all the officers to an emergency meeting in his quarters.

...

“This entire time, we’ve been leading him right to us.” Yeosang flopped back into his chair. The ‘we’ he spoke of was really a ‘you’ and it didn’t escape San’s notice.

He glowered at the navigator who went on, “I should’ve destroyed those pages when I had the chance.”

San’s glare intensified from the other side of the room. “There is useful information on them, and I’m close to figuring it out. If you can’t prove that it’s the spellbook putting us in danger, then you can’t make me destroy it.”

With that as his final word, he spun on his heel and exited the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

Finally Seonghwa’s voice penetrated the thick air. “I’ll go talk to him—“

“No, I’ve got it,” Wooyoung cut him off. He felt partially responsible for all this, having been the one to put San in this situation. It was only right that he make up for it. “But we still have to do something about our tail,” Seonghwa’s response was firm.

“I say we take the fight to him,” Hongjoong finally spoke up from his desk, where he had been mulling over the facts quietly. “I’ve had enough of running away.” 

Mingi coughed nervously. “Going up against a sorcerer? But none of us know the first thing about magic...”

“Which is why we won’t go alone.” Hongjoong smiled at him, and Mingi knew immediately what he was implying.

“Hyung, no.”

“What do you mean, no! If anyone can help us, it’s Eden!”

“Except we _already tried_ to find him and he didn’t want to be found, remember?”

“That was then, things have changed. Why would he disappear when he’s clearly leading us back to him?”

“Oh, I don’t know! Maybe because he’s _done it before?_ What makes you think this time is different?”

“Because this time,” Hongjoong was standing now, an anger brewing up through his eyes before suddenly softening. “This time, the threat on our lives is his own doing. And the Eden I know would never allow that.”

It was unnervingly silent after Hongjoong’s response faded. They hadn’t been privy to this information until now. Mingi needed to take a seat. He gave up after several attempts to ask through his dry throat how exactly the maniacal sorcerer hunting them down was Eden’s fault but he was honestly afraid to. 

Wooyoung was more concerned about their present issue and broke in to ask, “Do we burn the pages?” 

All the heads in the room turned to him. “It doesn’t matter,” Hongjoong finally decided. “The damage has already been done.”

...

“San?”

The sickbay wasn’t usually the most well lit of places below deck, but it was darker than usual as Wooyoung stared into it, black as pitch except for the dying embers that glowed from the fireplace.

Wooyoung lingered in the doorway. It didn’t make sense. He had checked San’s room, the storage decks, the galley, the food stores, even the crow’s nest, but San was nowhere to be found. There were only so many places to hide on a ship afloat in the middle of the ocean and Wooyoung had checked everywhere but here.

He decided to step in and try to find a light in the mess covering the examination tables but the door squeaked shut behind him and he was plunged in blackness. Hands outstretched in front of him, he groped for a matchbox, a lantern, anything, when a whisper brushed his ear. Hair shot up on the back of his neck, and he couldn’t turn fast enough.

A pair of arms latched around him, strong enough to be immobilising. As Wooyoung sucked in a breath to scream for help, a hand clamped over his mouth. His air grew stale in his mouth and panic seized his limbs. He couldn’t get out of this man’s grip and the edges of his vision were shrinking rapidly. One thought surfaced as he sunk into unconsciousness.

_Is this the end?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry that it’s quite dialogue heavy this time. It’s all necessary I promise, but soon we will be full speed ahead and... yeah, you guys aren’t ready. Please let me know what you thought and keep an eye out for more! Hmu on twitter/CC at @tinytokki if you want to chat.


	3. I Love My Desire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wooyoung could see Yeosang’s hands shaking around the handle of his cutlass and gave him an encouraging shoulder squeeze. This wouldn’t be an easy hit and run merchant ship raid; it was Babylon.

“I met him— Babylon— along with the rest of Eden’s crew when I ran away with them and joined their voyage east. He was the ship surgeon and cook.”

Hongjoong was seated again, finally delving into the tale of the sorcerer who was tracking them down at every turn. The officers were listening in rapt attention, save for Wooyoung who had gone off to find San.

“He was always kind and welcoming to me. He mended my clothes when I put holes in them, and then he taught me how to stitch them back together myself. The Babylon I knew at the start of that journey would never have betrayed us.”

There was a widespread shuffling from the audience. They had an idea of where this was going.

“He became interested in mystic arts when he found an old spellbook at a village market on one of our stops. No one saw a problem with his studying it, and he became quite skilled. His specialty was altering appearances, especially his own. Shapeshifting got us out of several scrapes on our way east... but gradually, he became consumed. Babylon had taken a turn for the dark arts at some point and he changed bit by bit until it was clear he wasn’t the same person anymore. And he wasn’t on our side anymore either.”

Memories played out in his mind and onto the twisting shadows on the wall. “When it was discovered that Babylon was killing crew members one by one to perform a blood ritual, Maddox and the other officers begged Eden to kill him and put an end to the slaughter. But Eden couldn’t do it. Instead he marooned Babylon with nothing but his spellbook, at his own request.”

“That’s why he’s responsible for the threat on our lives,” Mingi hummed in understanding. 

Hongjoong nodded. “Somehow Babylon has taken the form of an old sorcerer, allied himself with the Navy and caught on to us. All because Eden couldn’t kill one of his own crew, one of his closest friends, no matter what he had done...”

There was a tense silence over the officers for a moment, before the question on all their minds was finally voiced.

“Would you...?”

“Don’t.” Seonghwa gave Jongho the death glare for daring to pose the question. Jongho shrugged and averted his eyes. 

Hongjoong caught on anyway. “Let’s hope it doesn’t ever come to that,” he answered firmly.

“Captain!” A voice outside was growing louder and soon the door was flung open, revealing a breathless San. “Captain, come quickly! It’s Wooyoung!”

Wasting no time, all the officers raced after the frantic surgeon as he led them back to the sickbay, where Wooyoung was unconscious on the floor. “I need help to lift him, someone—”

San was cut off by Jongho reaching past him and scooping up the motionless body himself, laying him gently on the examination table and awaiting further instruction.

“What happened to him, San?” Seonghwa tried to catch the younger’s eye, but San was flying around the room, checking that everything else was still in order. “I don’t know, I just walked in and he was like this. I can’t seem to get him awake...” he trailed off as he found what he was looking for, a vial of smelling salts. “Hopefully this works,” he bit his lip and leaned over Wooyoung, brushing the opened vial just under his nose.

Wooyoung shot up off the table in sudden alertness before descending into a coughing fit and allowing Jongho to push him back down. 

“Wooyoung! Are you alright?” It took a moment to identify which of the seven figures in the room was speaking to him, but Yunho entered his field of vision and repeated himself. Wooyoung opened his mouth to answer but only a hoarse grunt was produced.

He frowned and placed a hand to his neck. The skin was raw and red and Wooyoung suddenly flashed back to the arms encircling his throat, cutting off his air supply. 

Again, he sat up straight and again, Jongho pushed him back down. Wooyoung gave him a frustrated glance but began to motion at his throat and the door behind the crowded officers. 

“Someone was in here?” Mingi guessed along with the hand movements. “Did they strangle you?” Judging from Wooyoung’s fervent nodding, he was correct. 

“But who?” Seonghwa breathed out in disbelief. “Who onboard would do such a thing?”

Wooyoung stilled and tried to think back to the fleeting memories before darkness closed in. All he could offer Seonghwa was a shake of the head.

“You don’t know?” Seonghwa turned to San, who had taken a seat and watched the proceedings with worry in his eyes. “Did you see anyone leaving?”

“No,” San cleared his throat and finally looked up at him. “And no one was admitted to the sickbay today. There shouldn’t have been anyone in here.”

The troubled glances the other officers were sending around were lost on San as he poured Wooyoung a glass of water and offered it to him. After a few careful gulps the patient was finally able to clear his throat and croak out his account.

“I came to look for you, San, and it was dark and empty when I walked in. Someone came up behind me and, well...” Again Wooyoung rubbed his throat gingerly. “I fell unconscious.”

“He can’t have been out long,” Mingi realised, doing the math in his head. “He only left the Captain’s cabin around 15 minutes ago.” 

“Check the area then, Mingi,” Hongjoong ordered. “Whoever it was may still be nearby.” Mingi nodded and made his way out. “Let’s give him some space to recover,” Yunho suggested, nudging Jongho and Yeosang out the door with him. Seonghwa and Hongjoong followed, both retreating to their living quarters, and San was the last one out with a forlorn glance at Wooyoung who lay, silent, on the examination table.

“Don’t go.”

San stopped in his tracks and slowly turned back around. “Please,” Wooyoung croaked out. “I need to know what happened to me.” 

San’s face was unreadable, but he complied, closing the door and joining Wooyoung’s side. He wouldn’t make eye contact, and the ball in Wooyoung’s stomach was growing. “I’m sorry, but I really don’t know.”

“Don’t know or don’t remember?”

San’s head snapped up at Wooyoung’s uncanny question. “What do you mean by that?” He was suddenly on the defence, and Wooyoung sat up slowly, one hand extended to calm him while he advanced closer. 

“I’m just asking where you were when I was attacked and what you saw when you found me.”

A dry swallow was forced down San’s throat and he almost decked Wooyoung when he felt his hand on his shoulder. “What are you so nervous about?” The whispered concern loosened San’s tongue and he finally admitted, “I don’t remember.”

Wooyoung’s breath caught in his throat. “The attacker got you too?” San was shivering now, but leaned in to Wooyoung’s touch. “I think, I-I don’t know what happened. I went to the forecastle to clear my head and then there’s just a gap in my memories... Like someone took them away from me! The next thing I remember was coming back here and finding you on the ground. I meant it, Wooyoung, really! There wasn’t anyone or anything strange!”

Despite the reeling of his own head, Wooyoung hushed San and drew him closer.

Someone was loose on this ship, and until they were caught they would be a danger to everyone.

...

“Mingi, don’t play dumb. You and I both know San is hiding something.”

“So, what, that means he’s aiding and abetting? Or does it mean he’s the attacker? I don’t want to throw accusations around, Yunho.”

The two were investigating all the corners and crevices of the ATEEZ for anything— and anyone— even the least bit suspicious. “Come, now, I’m not throwing anything around. It’s just awfully convenient that San happened to be out here when Wooyoung was being strangled and didn’t notice anything out of order at all, don’t you think?” Yunho frowned and peeked between the necks of cannons on the gun deck.

“Alright, I’ll entertain this train of thought then,” Mingi halted and turned to face Yunho, his arms crossed with an air of skepticism. “Why would San attack Wooyoung? Why would San attack anyone? He’s San!”

Yunho opened his mouth and shut it again before he said anything hasty. “I’m just trying to make sense of his behaviour lately,” he finally sighed, unsure himself of where this train of thought was going. “Don’t you think it’s strange that the attacker left Wooyoung alive? His grip was enough to knock him out; he easily could’ve finished the job. That’s the real mystery here.”

Mingi shook his head, easily picking up on the sudden topic change and redirecting it. “Yunho, has something happened between you and San? Did he do something on the island... something that has to do with the demon that possessed you?”

The look Yunho gave him made his blood run cold. “I’m not even entirely sure what I saw... but he’s up to something. And I really don’t think it’s in his control anymore.” 

Mingi paled at this. “Who else knows?” He lowered his voice to a near whisper and stepped closer, just in case any powder monkeys were hanging around. 

“Wooyoung,” Yunho listed. “Anyone he’s told, so probably Yeosang... potentially Hongjoong-hyung... I don’t know, if I’m honest.”

Mingi wrung his hands down his face in a moment of honest weakness. “I don’t know what to do about this, but I can predict what Captain will say.” 

Yunho nodded at him and finished the thought, “See if it blows over. Keep an eye on everyone. Be careful who we talk to.”

Mingi cracked a smile at this. “You’re almost better at my job than me. I’ll mention it to Captain, from now we should investigate quietly.” The two nodded in perfect sync and moved on to the next deck.

...

The eyes were back.

In every nightmare, and every time Hongjoong reimagined the scene of his parents’ deaths, the eyes watched him and did nothing.

He awoke with a cry after he plunged into the sea and his head made contact with something, like it always did. Red strands of hair stuck up in every direction, and he rubbed tear tracks off his face until he met eyes with Seonghwa.

Both of them almost jumped out of their skin, equally surprised to see another pair of eyes on them in the darkness.

“I’m sorry,” Hongjoong mumbled, still frozen in place. “Didn’t mean to wake you.” 

Seonghwa’s stare didn’t reveal his state of mind, but something about it was very disarming despite coming straight out of a nightmare where it was the eyes on Hongjoong that drove him mad.

“Nothing to apologise for,” Seonghwa finally said, tugging the blanket on him closer. His gaze persisted, and Hongjoong wasn’t sure if he was seeing concern or some kind of fascination. “If you’d like to talk about it—”

“I don’t need to talk about it,” Hongjoong cut him off and instantly regretted it. “I mean, it’s alright. Just go back to sleep.”

“Is it Eden?”

Hongjoong was mid-movement, trying to roll over so that he wasn’t facing the elder boy but froze again and peered over at him. Seonghwa simply looked back, expectant.

“No, I-I don’t know what it is.” Hongjoong knew Seonghwa had something to say, so he let the silence fill space in time. Both just sitting and waiting. 

Instead, Seonghwa stood from his bed and went to pull something out of a drawer in the desk. Crossing to Hongjoong, he opened his hand to show him the trinket resting in his palm.

The compass from the treasure.

“It’s been pointing south ever since you altered course,” Seonghwa explained. “For some reason instead of following it, it follows us. Tell me, Hongjoong. Why are we going south?”

Hongjoong swallowed and bowed his head. “I know I promised to bring you to the mainland, and I’m going to keep that promise. But we need to stop Babylon, because he will keep causing trouble for us until we do. We can find an island to hide at in the southern archipelago, and we can lure him in.”

Seonghwa scanned Hongjoong up and down before giving up and sitting on the edge of his bed. “I can’t tell if you want me to go or stay, I’ll admit.”

This conversation again.

“It doesn’t matter what I want,” Hongjoong insisted. “This is your chance to go home, that’s your decision, Seonghwa. Whichever choice you make, I’ll agree to.”

“Then why are you still pushing for finding Eden, Hongjoong?”

Finally Seonghwa’s voice raised past a whisper. “Be honest with me. Be honest with yourself.”

“We need him to stop Babylon—”

“What makes you think he will be able to go through with it the second time around?”

“He never makes the same mistake twice.”

“What makes you think he’ll even show up at all?”

Hongjoong had to stop the urge to grind his teeth together. “If there’s one regret I know he has, it’s Babylon. We all knew he’d be back to haunt us one day, and now he’s here. Eden won’t fail us again.”

“This is twice he’s failed you now, don’t you think—”

“You didn’t know him, Seonghwa.” Exasperated, Hongjoong threw the covers off and shoved his feet into his shoes. “If the compass points south then we must be on the right course.” 

Seonghwa stood to stop him but he strode to the door as if to leave the conversation when he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

“The compass hand followed us south...”

Seonghwa heard the realisation from Hongjoong and looked down at the compass in his hand until it hit him too.

“Babylon isn’t the only one following us!”

Hongjoong had turned back around, mood completely changed and previous argument flung out the window. “Eden is too!”

He approached the bed again to get another look at the compass in Seonghwa’s hand. “The compass must be pointing to him. It is his after all, that would make the most sense, wouldn’t it?”

Seonghwa was loathe to admit it but he had to agree it made the most sense. “Yes,” he conceded. “It does seem Eden is following us. But we need to be ready for Babylon nonetheless— if he couldn’t kill him then, there’s no guarantee he’ll kill him now.”

Hongjoong could agree on that much, and pulled his shoes back off, releasing the tension he hadn’t realised was building up in his body. The air was clearer now, and his eyelids were heavy again. He sunk back into the covers and lay back, ready for sleep but not for the nightmares.

“Are you sure you don’t want to talk about you dream?” Seonghwa said, quieter this time, and from his position at the foot of Hongjoong’s bed. Hongjoong felt bad for being upset with Seonghwa, but the older boy had an astounding ability to get inside his head and voice his own doubts.

“It’s just a memory, not a real dream,” he admitted in a quiet voice. Perhaps saying out loud would make it go away. “Except...”

“Except what?”

“If I tell you, it becomes your burden too.”

Seonghwa sat on the side of the bed, mindful of his proximity but eager to open Hongjoong up, stumbling blocks of stubbornness cast to the side. “I don’t care, tell me anyway.”

“It’s just the night my parents died, playing over and over, but there’s something out of place,” Hongjoong finally said. “A pair of eyes watching me as I become separated from them. They’re always there now, someone watching and doing nothing.”

Seonghwa sat back. It would explain Hongjoong’s reaction at seeing his own eyes on him when he awoke. Truthfully, Seonghwa had witnessed many a nightmare since moving in, and he always watched from the side, too frightened to say anything. It was time to change that.

“It might not make sense to you now, but I’m sure it will become clear with time,” he offered. “And besides, it can’t hurt you. It’s just a dream.”

“Thanks, mother,” Hongjoong teased, settling back against his pillows.

“Why don’t I make you some tea or something, too?” Seonghwa returned, only half joking. 

“No, no,” Hongjoong’s smile was back. “Not necessary. I’ll let you get to sleep now.” Seonghwa shook his head and returned to his own bed, turning the compass over in his fingers a few times.

They’d find out what all this meant soon enough.

“Goodnight Hongjoong.”

“Goodnight Seonghwa.”

...

Jongho spied the speck of green on the horizon a few hours after the sun came up and reported it first thing.

“Is that—?”

“The island where I built the ATEEZ? Yes,” Hongjoong informed him before handing over the spyglass to their eager youngest. “Swore I’d never return and yet here we are.”

“My, my,” Yeosang chuckled. “The past is really haunting us now, isn’t it?”

The officers (save for Wooyoung and San) were all assembled at the forecastle to scope out a landing spot. The island was barely more than a strip of land with some thick vegetation in the middle of it, and if it had somehow become inhabited in the few years since Hongjoong left, it didn’t show from the outer facade.

“When do you think our tail will catch up, Yunho?” The captain turned to their master rigger, who had been keeping an eye out from the crow’s nest (and another eye on San in their quarters). “By sunset if he keeps up at the speed he’s going. But he’ll certainly be suspicious of why we stopped here.”

“As long as he walks into the trap, it doesn’t matter what he thinks,” Yeosang put in, wrestling the spyglass off of Jongho. The youngest pouted at him and turned to Hongjoong. “All the men are armed and ready. We can camouflage ourselves as well, if need be.”

“I’d prefer us to have to cover of nightfall,” Hongjoong sighed. It would be a much more effective trap if they were afforded that advantage. “Have you taken the gun teams as well?”

“No need,” a voice chimed in from behind them. It was Wooyoung, with San trailing behind. “I’m ready to fight.”

“Are you sure?” Seonghwa went to his side to check the bruises that had formed around his neck. “You might have to join physical combat if it gets bad.”

Wooyoung nodded fervently. “I’d never run from a battle. Especially not one the rest of you are fighting in.” He glanced at Yeosang, who nodded in approval. It would take more than a minor injury to keep him from staying by his side like he’d promised.

“If you’re sure,” Hongjoong tilted his head reluctantly. “Then we’d be glad to have you back. There’s work to do bringing the cannons to shore and preparing for the ambush.”

Wooyoung nodded and hurried to the gun deck. It was time to whip his crew back into shape.

By noon, the ATEEZ had landed and unloaded, following their captain as he showed them the best place to set up camp. The foliage was thick and good for concealing cannons and the pirates themselves, but there wasn’t much of an incline to angle their shots from. It would depend almost entirely on the element of surprise.

All the officers and all the men set up for the fight, save one mate to remain with the ship. Wooyoung could see Yeosang’s hands shaking around the handle of his cutlass and gave him an encouraging shoulder squeeze. This wouldn’t be an easy hit and run merchant ship raid; it was Babylon.

He was unrelenting and hot on their heels. And he was coming for blood.

“Has it changed since you were here?” Mingi remarked casually in Hongjoong’s direction, cleaning the inside of his blunderbuss and instructing Seonghwa on how to clean his. “Not a bit,” Hongjoong murmured back. “Though I hope there aren’t any more coastal jaguars.”

San’s eyes widened at this and he sent a wary glance towards the thicker jungle beyond them. 

Luckily they didn’t need to kill a jaguar for their dinner, as Seonghwa had brought enough rations for all the men to share and they ate in shifts, always at least one pair of eyes on the horizon. They were prepared for the enemy to come at any time, though they desperately willed for the sun to go down and provide them with cover.

Wooyoung clutched his gun closer to his chest. It was the waiting that tore him apart inside. Staring at the horizon until his eyes watered and he remembered to blink. Wondering how long the fight would last and how many they would lose on both sides. There were questionable motives all around, and uneasiness between the officers was running rampant, but for a moment there was a sense of unity in dread.

Once the sun began to set, the call went up from Yunho.

“He’s here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof... it’s getting obvious that I prefer writing one on one dialogue lol. Wish me luck in the 5 exams, paper, and performance that I have to do in the week and a half 😭 I literally read comments to motivate myself to write so please leave them if you want more of this and soon!! As always thanks for reading and don’t be shy to hmu on twitter or elsewhere ^^


	4. The Trap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wooyoung trained his gun on the back of the sorcerer. He was perfectly lined up to blast his head off. Then this would be over. The thorn in their sides and Yeosang's nightmares. Silently, he got to his feet.

“Ah, the tiny abandoned island for abandoned souls.”

Babylon took a deep breath of the salty air and pressed his boot into the sand. It smelled like rebellion, and he was here to put a stop to that.

His men unloaded themselves behind him in perfect military fashion, locked and loaded to scope out the pirates’ hiding place at his command.

“They’ve cornered themselves,” he remarked nonchalantly to his men, loud enough that anyone in the area would be able to hear. He didn’t care where they were hiding, they would show themselves soon enough.

“Death is the penalty for any number of crimes you’ve committed,” now he was directly addressing them, strolling confidently inland, knowing they were lying in wait.

Wooyoung could hear the trampling feet of soldiers marching ahead to overtake them and squeezed Yeosang’s shoulder again. Babylon was listing their crimes off conversationally, but his eyes swept through the brush and gave him away. He was searching for them.

It meant little to the crew of the ATEEZ that they were wanted for treason on so many counts. It was simply the way of the Navy to execute its own without thinking twice. Being the sole survivor of a Navy ship of any kind? Treason, you hang at dawn. Pissing off your superior? Treason, you hang at dawn.

Sometimes it seemed existing was already a death sentence.

If Babylon intended to give no mercy, then so did Wooyoung. He caught a breath in his throat as a head of hair appeared at the bottom of the hill slope. His gun was ready and he had the man in his sights, but he couldn’t fire yet. Babylon hadn’t walked all the way into the trap, and even an inch of leeway with the sorcerer could cost in lives.

Babylon prattled on, now about the island and how unfortunate it must be for one to be stranded here. Wooyoung realised he was trying to draw them out into the open. Yeosang struggled to quell his own shaking at his side and Wooyoung noticed his continual glances across the clearing to where Hongjoong was. He evidently expected the Captain to lose his nerve and give away their position.

But Hongjoong was patient.

San, too, fidgeted at Wooyoung’s other side, and the gunner had to raise a finger to his lips to warn him. A nagging thought brushed the back of his mind that San was a liability in this state.

Not because he hadn’t seen much combat— neither had Yeosang and Seonghwa, to be fair— but because he was central to the incidents occurring onboard since his magical meddling had begun. And it was unlikely he was winning his supernatural battle with the dark forces.

Wooyoung pushed the idea away. San had every right to fight for their freedom as the rest, and they needed him to patch them back together. He had stilled, crouching as low to the ground as he could manage. Sour grains of sand peppered the edge of his lips and he went silent.

Hongjoong’s eyes found Wooyoung’s from behind the foliage and shifted to follow Babylon’s disquietingly close form as it moved with increasing caution up the hill and past both of their positions. Again Hongjoong’s eyes were on Wooyoung, and he nodded his head ever so slightly.

That was the signal.

Wooyoung trained his gun on the back of the sorcerer. He was perfectly lined up to blast his head off. Then this would be over. The thorn in their sides and Yeosang’s nightmares. Silently, he got to his feet.

Three

Two

One

“Wooyoungie—?”

BANG!

The shot ran true, shimmering sound echoing off in all directions, but didn’t reach its target. Babylon had heard San’s voice and whipped around just in time.

A bullet floated midair, inches from his face.

Wooyoung forced down a swallow.

Babylon had stopped it telepathically just moments before it obliterated him. And now he let it drop to the ground, steaming, before turning with a smile to the three boys in their hiding place.

Perfect.

San looked mortified, but there was no time to console him. Wooyoung grabbed him with one hand and pulled Yeosang up with the other, dragging them behind him as he darted away. The cannons were camouflaged with the gun teams mere strides away, but in the two seconds it took to cross that distance, Babylon had caught on.

A massive ring of dark energy emitted from him and slammed into the three with all the force of a typhoon wave. Wooyoung lost his grip and went tumbling back down the hill, landing at the feet of Babylon’s naval forces.

Chaos broke out around him just before the barrel of the enemy’s gun met his forehead. He could see the rest of the crew spring into action. Their element of surprise over Babylon had been spoiled at a critical moment, but they still had the drop on the rest of his men.

Scrambling to his feet, he scanned the struggling, blood-painted bodies for Yeosang and San. After a few shaky steps forward he spotted them with Seonghwa behind the cannon row. San was blubbering that he didn’t feel right inside and leaned over in the grass until Seonghwa crossed to support him. The gun teams had diligently prepared to fire, and Wooyoung sprinted to them with a cautionary glance into the thick of battle.

Wooyoung understood now why people called Hongjoong a pirate king. He and Mingi were mowing enemies down left and right, and it occurred to Wooyoung that he had never properly seen them fight before. Jongho was ahead of him, taking people out with his bare hands, and Yunho disarmed men in seconds. All of them worked their way to the cackling sorcerer who deflected projectiles like they were nothing and spun clouds of darkness into the fray.

Feeling decidedly incompetent by comparison, he hung back with the cannons where he was comfortable and gave the order to begin firing. He could only imagine how Yeosang felt. His hand found the other’s back, running circles into his spine in an effort to slow his visibly laboured breathing.

Splitting his concentration between soothing his traumatised friend and giving orders was proving difficult, so he turned to Yeosang and caught his trembling hands. “Yeosang?”

“He’s going to kill me this time. He’s going to—”

“Yeosang? Don’t look at him,” Wooyoung gripped his face, a thumb brushing the swell of his cheek until his eyes turned and locked with his. “Listen, I need your help.”

Yeosang shook his head and let out a whine Wooyoung wasn’t sure the older boy was even aware of. The sorcerer must have left a deeper print on him than they’d realised. “No, you can do this hyung, I know you can!” Wooyoung removed one hand from Yeosang’s face to point to the cannons, now angled into the regiment of Navy soldiers tearing up the beach to join the battle. “We need to stop them before they get to us. You know the commands, Yeosang, can I ask you to give them?”

“I... Alright,” Yeosang pulled Wooyoung’s remaining hand off of his face, squeezing it, and inhaled sharply through his nose. “I know the commands. I can do it.” Wooyoung cracked a hesitant smile and nodded over to the far end of the row. “You take that half, I take this one?”

Yeosang collected himself and took up his station. He ensured that the gunners were ready and sent a nervous smile at Wooyoung. Wooyoung smirked back. “Bet my team can take out more than yours.” Yeosang raised his arm and signalled to fire.

“Bet.”

...

Mingi struggled through the bloody crowd to reach the tail of the fuse lying snakelike in the sand. He had hidden a healthy dosage of explosives precisely underneath where Babylon was standing, to finish him off in the event that Wooyoung’s shot didn’t and cut off the advancing enemy forces should they come to the sorcerer’s aid.

Of course then San had spoken and drawn his attention, starting the entire battle earlier than it was supposed to, and he was stuck in the thick of it instead of ahead of the game.

It took Jongho and Yunho muscling their way into the crowd and creating a path for Mingi to reach the fuse. He dropped to his knees and yanked the matchbox out of his pocket, pulling too hard and dropping it in the sand. Frantically, he spun in place, scrubbing his hands through the rough grains. “Where is it, where is it, where is it...”

A whoosh from behind him warned Mingi to duck as two swords clashed above his head. He risked a glance and found it was Babylon who had been about to strike him, and Hongjoong had cut him off with his own cutlass.

His hands closed around a shape in the sand. The matchbox.

A few hurried strikes and a small flame was born in his hand.

But now Babylon was here, and not above the buried sticks of dynamite intended for him. Again, he looked up at the two duelling figures. Hongjoong was heading back towards the trap, leading Babylon in after him.

Mingi waited patiently.

“You are every bit as incompetent as you were the day Eden threw his pity party and brought you aboard,” Babylon couldn’t help but let out a snide comment over their crossed blades. Hongjoong simply grunted in response.

“Lies.”

“No, no,” Babylon let out something resembling a laugh. “You see, even to me Eden didn’t hesitate to demonstrate his deep regret at ever becoming entangled with you. It was nothing short of a blessing to him that we lost you on this godforsaken spit of land. Why do you think he never let you catch him in all your searching after? Your ‘death’ absolved him of his ill-gotten obligation to you and your complete lack of prospects.”

“Shut your mouth before I stuff it with the business end of my blunderbuss.”

Hongjoong used his free hand to draw said weapon and wave it pointedly in his opponent’s face.

But suddenly that face was his own.

Shocked by the fact he was pointing a loaded gun at what looked like himself, he paused for a moment.

The copy smiled, Hongjoong’s smile, but his eyes held a trace of something completely different. It wasn’t quite him, though even the most detailed observer would be hard pressed to identify Babylon’s shapeshifting.

The sorcerer used the moment of distraction to his advantage and swung his blade in a quick motion, slicing at his midsection. The blow was deflected halfway through, but Hongjoong was off balance now, tipping back and forth as if rocked by waves.

Babylon let out a pompous laugh and lunged for him, aiming for the throat. Hongjoong brought up the gun just in time, discharging it too close for comfort, but nicking Babylon in the side of the face just it backfired, exploding in his hand and sending tiny shards of metal into his arm.

He regained his balance with only a hiss of pain and watched the duplicate Hongjoong reel back, hands clutching what had been his ear as it gushed with blood. Unnerving as it was to see the sticky red liquid slide down his own face, the captain couldn’t waste a single moment.

Babylon shot a hand up and stopped the blade that was coming down on him, tossing it to the side and pulling Hongjoong down with him where they grappled in the dirt. Bloody hands scraped across the captain’s face, scratching, pulling, soiling his eyes and doing anything he could to hold him at bay.

When Hongjoong managed to pry his lids open it was no longer a copy of him he was fighting, but Mingi. Now the shapeshifter was taller and stronger than he was, and turned the tides of their fistfight, flipping him over in the sandy soil.

“How do you like fighting your own friend?” Babylon grunted out, in Mingi’s voice. “Can you bring yourself to kill him?”

“I’ll kill you with my eyes closed,” Hongjoong returned between pants, trembling from exertion as he held Babylon’s sword edge inches from his face. The real Mingi looked on anxiously in his peripherals, flame poised above the fuse.

Stars swam in Hongjoong’s vision as the shapeshifter gripped his bright red hair and slammed his head into the ground. He rolled, narrowly avoiding the descending blade again, and reached for his own sword where it lay in the sand.

“What’s your worst nightmare, cabin boy?”

Babylon’s voice was no longer anyone’s, but a deafening cry of thousands of voices mixed that blasted across the battlefield, sending everyone to their knees, ears ringing from the impact.

Hongjoong dropped the sword he had just regained and clamped his hands over his ears, teeth gritted and eyes squeezed shut.

Babylon’s form shifted constantly from creature to creature, his own limbs alternating from warped claw, to wing, to talon. Hongjoong lunged forward and made to bury his hilt in the monster’s heart, but he was changing too quickly, stuttering from place to place and evaporating at his fingertips. Faces emerged at random in a cloud of dark magic that grew and wrapped the captain up in it.

Mingi’s calls bounced uselessly off the energy storm, and now he was completely blind to where the two were. His hand twitched, the flame winking along with the movement, and he considered whether to detonate it now.

More inhuman noises emitted from the growing black tornado as it swallowed pirates and soldiers along with foliage and sand. “Just do it!” Jongho screamed from behind him, hands pressed tight over his ears. “He’ll swallow the entire island!”

“No!” Yunho immediately protested, even as he clung to a palm tree with one hand and nursed what looked like a cracked rib with the other. Whomever he had been fighting had just been sucked into the storm. “No, there has to be another way!”

All three looked across the clearing at the artillery. Of the officers, only Wooyoung and Yeosang were visible, hanging on to their hardy cannons for dear life as the trees were uprooted around them. The other way would have to be Wooyoung’s bullet, and his gun wasn’t even drawn.

“Where are San and Seonghwa?” Mingi looked wide-eyed back at Yunho, who pulled Jongho to him before he got sucked away. Even Mingi’s feet digging into the sand weren’t holding up against the tremendous pull of Babylon’s magic storm.

Yunho shook his head wordlessly. He knew only as much as Mingi did, but as he scanned the tree line opposite them, Wooyoung’s gaze met his own.

He saw Wooyoung look over his shoulder for San and Seonghwa, and notice they were gone.

“He’s going after them...” Yunho realised.

“What?” Mingi used the full force of his voice over the wind.

“Wooyoung is going after them!” Jongho yelled back and followed Wooyoung with his eyes as he struggled back into the brush and out of sight, leaving Yeosang to manage the cannons on his own.

Mingi swallowed hard. He had a choice to make. The dark clouds were expanding, but the eye of the storm remained Babylon, and Babylon remained on top of the buried explosives.

“The explosion could cause a chain reaction,” Yunho bellowed from behind him. “It will take out the whole clearing— maybe the whole island. We’ll never all make it!” Mingi pressed his eyes shut. Yunho would say anything to avoid loss of life, but he was right on this.

“I don’t have a choice Yunho,” Mingi finally turned to face him. “No one will make it if I let his power keep growing like this.”

Tears leaked from Yunho’s eyes as they flitted over to the eye of the storm. Captain was still in there.

“Trust me.” Mingi lifted the flame to the fuse and ran towards the storm.

...

The waves of wind and energy blowing at Wooyoung’s back aided him forward into the brush.

“—young!”

A cry came from somewhere ahead of him, and he picked up the pace, practically flying over the shrubs in pursuit.

“Wooyoung! Woo—”

It was Seonghwa’s voice, cut off by a muffled scream.

Finally Wooyoung stumbled upon the two figures he was chasing, almost tripping over them when they suddenly halted.

San whipped around to face him, Seonghwa clamped in his firm grip, only it wasn’t quite San.

His eyes glowed red and there was blood black as coal pumping through his veins.

Wooyoung’s eyes bulged at it as he caught sight of the dark spiderweb beneath pale skin.

“S-San?”

“Don’t move.”

San pressed his dagger point closer to Seonghwa’s jugular. The older pirate stilled and looked to Wooyoung.

“San, I don’t know what you’re doing but just release Seonghwa and let’s talk about this—”

“I’m not San. San is gone.”

The words were spat at him with such vitriol, Wooyoung stepped back involuntarily. The demon that had clearly taken over glowered at him from behind San’s eyes and continued.

“He’s been fighting me since he summoned me accidentally. But now I’m the one in charge.”

“No,” Wooyoung whispered, vision clouding over with tears. “No, listen San, I know you’re still in there, please...”

San began to slice Seonghwa’s neck, a surprised gurgle escaping the prisoner as he began to struggle again. Wooyoung watched the trickle of blood weave down the skin of his neck, powerless to stop it.

“We can talk this through, just let him go!” Wooyoung was angry now, and the hot tears spilled over. “You don’t need to do this!”

“Yes I do,” San’s smile was terrifying. “He’s the sacrifice.”

“The sacrifice?”

BANG

An explosion rang through the air, throwing everyone to the ground and blooming in a plume of smoke beyond the tree line.

Wooyoung struggled back to his feet and turned around.

Everything was on fire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me- it's one to all. also me- HALA HALA!! Demons and evil doubles!!!
> 
> Well thanks for reading this far and please leave some comments and stick around for the continuation :)) Also just as an official announcement that this will continue into a volume 4 once this part is finished!


	5. Infiltration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hongjoong shook his head. “This ends tonight. One way or another.” And that was the end of it.

One moment the world was spinning, the next it was rolling over itself.

Hongjoong registered a body slamming into his just seconds before the ground exploded.

Their momentum was aided by the blast wave radiating out, and by the time Hongjoong opened his eyes, they were on the other side of the hill, away from the battle and the rest of the crew.

He struggled out from underneath his saviour before getting a good look at him.

“Mingi!”

Mingi rolled onto his back with a low groan and cracked open an eye. It was out of focus. “Mingi, are you alri—”

“Look out!”

Suddenly, Mingi’s eyes grew wide and he grasped Hongjoong’s arms in a death grip. Trusting blindly, Hongjoong scooped up the taller boy and dragged him toward the nearest trees, just as a broken cannon landed where they had been laying.

The explosion must have broken Babylon’s control over the freak cyclone, sending all objects caught up in it hurtling towards the ground.

When he’d calmed his own breathing, Hongjoong propped the unmoving Mingi against a tree and inspected him for damage.

“Mingi, can you hear me?”

“Yessir...”

“Your ears are bleeding.”

Hongjoong touched the running red liquid in concern before wiping away the rest with his sleeve.

“But your arm... and your side...”

Mingi slurred before letting out a cough. “You need medical attention...”

“Mingi!” Hongjoong didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The sound that came out was most likely a mixture of both. “Look at yourself, you’ve been burned by the blast. I’m getting you out of here.”

Fire was catching to all the trees on either side of them, but Hongjoong did his best to haul Mingi over his shoulders and dodge the flames.

He could see Yeosang up ahead, curled up on the ground with his hands protecting his head as bodies and pieces of artillery continued to rain down.

Instinctively, Hongjoong checked the faces of the dead that he passed. None of them were his men, but none of them were Babylon either.

“Captain!” Yeosang spotted them and uncurled himself slightly to accommodate Mingi as he was set down next to him. “Yes, we’re alright,” Hongjoong was already giving instructions and passing his quartermaster off. “I need you to look after him for a moment while I go look for Jongho and Yun—”

“We’re here!”

Jongho appeared from the other side of the cannon line, having sprinted across the battlefield that the clearing had become.

Hongjoong stood and grasped his arm in relief, then looked past him. “But where’s Yunho?”

Confused, Jongho whipped around.

“He was right behind me...?”

As they looked on, Yunho reappeared from the direction of the beach. “He got away,” he panted, jogging up to them and clutching his side. “Babylon. He transformed into a seagull and got away.”

Hongjoong could see scores of Navy soldiers fleeing for the longboats, retreating back to Babylon’s ship where the anchor was already being lifted. To his consolation, he saw his own crew heading back for the ATEEZ as well. Yunho was still talking. “He looked badly singed before he shapeshifted, and his entire ear was sliced off...”

Hongjoong opened his mouth as if to say something and then snapped it shut again, lips pressed into a firm line.

“Later. We need to find the other three first.”

Yeosang looked up from where he was helping a woozy Mingi to his feet and chimed in. “They went that way, through the brush.”

He looked as if he wanted to say more, but was halted by a cough ripping out of his lungs. The air was becoming dense with smoke, and the heat that was building couldn’t be ignored for much longer.

Hongjoong had to think fast.

“Alright, Jongho,” he turned to the youngest and, it seemed, the least injured. “I need you to take Yunho and Mingi back to the ship, and anyone else you can find. Prepare to leave and keep your eyes on Babylon. I want to know where he’s headed.”

Jongho nodded obediently and moved to sling Mingi over his back, supporting him with one arm and offering the other to Yunho.

“Yeosang, you’re with me.”

Yeosang managed a look of complete surprise.

“Me?”

Hongjoong was already walking past him and towards the path Wooyoung had taken. “Yes. I need you to tell me what happened, why they left.”

Yeosang swallowed and followed tentatively.

“I’m not sure at what point San and Seonghwa disappeared, but Wooyoung noticed they were missing and went after them. It was only a few minutes ago, they shouldn’t be far.”

Hongjoong nodded and picked up the pace, avoiding falling debris and burning branches.

They had better all be alive.

...

San’s eyes flickered as he staggered to his feet and pulled Seonghwa up after him.

The movements were almost stuttering as somewhere in San’s body, he was struggling with the demon.

Wooyoung allowed himself a seed of hope as the red in San’s eyes wavered almost enough to let his real eyes shine through.

“San, you have to fight it—”

“I’m not San!”

The creature screeched with a thousand voices behind him and repositioned the blade at Seonghwa’s neck.

Wooyoung risked a glance. Seonghwa was beginning to fade, the trail of blood growing and his eyes falling shut.

Wooyoung didn’t know what to do.

This demon-possessed San was clearly volatile and Wooyoung knew if he stepped any closer, Seonghwa’s throat would be sliced through entirely.

The longer he kept still, the more San seemed to calm. “That’s it,” Wooyoung coaxed him like a caged animal. “Come on San, I know you’re fighting...”

“Wooyoung!”

Hongjoong’s voice from behind startled all three, Seonghwa opening his eyes again and Wooyoung turning to see the captain jog up from the battlefield.

“What’s this? You called for help?” The demon took control again, growled and removed the knife for a moment, gesturing to Hongjoong.

Hongjoong didn’t give Wooyoung a chance to answer. “Whoever you are, you have no business with San. Leave him be!”

Again, a chilling grin painted San’s once familiar face. “Sorry to disobey, Captain, but we need Seonghwa here for the sacrifice.”

“Sacrifice?” Hongjoong whispered in confusion, but the demon continued speaking anyway.

“Island creatures and common folk simply won’t do. It must be a member of—”

San suddenly toppled to the ground, a tranquilliser sticking out of the back his neck.

Everyone looked behind him, open-mouthed, to see who had shot it.

Yeosang relaxed and holstered his smoking gun. “What? You never know when you’ll need one of those.”

As Hongjoong and Yeosang separated San and Seonghwa, Wooyoung stumbled forward to check San, hoping to any deity that would listen for the black in his friend’s veins to vanish.

“Hey, stay awake.”

Seonghwa realised he was on the ground and forced his eyes open. He could only make out a blur of red hair, but he recognised the voice and the hands pressing onto his throat.

He tried to stay awake, but he didn’t really want to.

“Stay awake, that’s an order!”

The world was hazy, and Seonghwa wasn’t sure if it was the smoke-filled air or his waning consciousness.

“Careful, you’ll crush his windpipe!”

That was Yeosang’s voice.

Everything mixed together in a circus of sounds and colours but Seonghwa was trying, oh so hard...

“I have to hold his vein together or he’ll bleed out!”

“Just ease up, he’ll choke to death if you keep pressing so hard...”

Admittedly, Seonghwa couldn’t feel much of anything anymore. Someone had drawn him into their arms and now they were moving, rushing back through the burning forest and across the beach.

The chaos around him was beginning to wane. Crashing waves, crackling fire, and shouting men. Seonghwa drifted into sleep.

When he next awoke, he was laying on a table and something was pricking his neck. He could see Yeosang to his left, rubbing an ointment of some kind onto a sleeping Mingi’s back to treat what looked like burns.

So they were in the sickbay.

Seonghwa tried to turn his head to see who was on his other side when a cough came from that direction, but was stopped by a hand and a gentle shushing voice.

From the corner of his eye, he could see Hongjoong’s blood-covered hands patiently stitching something.

His eyes lingered on the captain’s concentrated face and he finally realised Hongjoong was stitching _him_.

Some vein must have been severed when San had grabbed him...

The details were fuzzy, but when he tried to make a noise to ask what happened, he was again quieted.

“It’s alright,” Hongjoong didn’t look up. “You can sleep now.”

He didn’t have to tell him twice.

When the wound was closed and the blood had been washed away, Hongjoong finally stepped out of the stuffy room and went to the quarterdeck.

The entire island was on fire.

Long had Hongjoong imagined this accursed place consumed in a fiery blaze. Like Babylon, it was a demon from the past. And Hongjoong intended for Babylon to meet the same fate.

He watched trees collapse and smoke plume into the now nighttime air and decided he needed a drink.

In the past thirty minutes, they had followed Babylon’s ship south at a safe distance, imprisoned San’s still twitching body in the brig, and convened in the infirmary to patch each other up.

Hongjoong emptied the last drops of rum into his mouth and slumped into his chair. Half of his men had been taken out, almost killed. And Babylon had gotten away with little more than surface wounds, despite their best efforts.

It lit his blood on fire as he thought about how close some of them had been to death. Yunho coughing up blood yet silently gripping his broken rib, lethargic Mingi’s blistering red skin, holding Seonghwa’s throat together with his own hands as he bled out...

Hongjoong hurled the empty bottle at the closest wall and watched it shatter.

They were no closer to killing off this menace and now his crew was suffering for it.

A timid knock came from the door and he called for them to enter. It was Yeosang.

“They’re all stable.” Yeosang’s eyes were on the broken glass as he spoke. “Mingi’s awake now, too.”

Hongjoong came out from behind the desk and followed his navigator back to the infirmary.

Mingi was sitting up with his own glass of rum, probably for the pain.

Hongjoong waited for Yeosang to go back over to Seonghwa before taking a seat and clearing his throat.

“I never thanked you properly.”

Mingi smiled lopsidedly.

“What for?”

“Yunho and Jongho tell me you ran into an explosion to rescue me,” Hongjoong couldn’t help but return the smile as he teased, “You wouldn’t do something as crazy as that, would you?”

“We both know you’ve done crazier. But for the record, it was an exploding tornado, actually.”

Classic Mingi.

Before he could respond, Hongjoong was cut off by Wooyoung entering breathlessly.

“It’s San. He’s awake.”

...

Jongho interrupted his stare off through the cell bars with San to greet the entering Captain, Yeosang, and Wooyoung.

“He’s...?”

“Still possessed,” Jongho explained, sparing Yeosang from fumbling through the question. “But now it seems he has nothing to say.”

“Nothing to say?” Hongjoong crouched in front of the bars and tilted his head. “He had so much to tell us earlier about the sacrifice and all.”

“Aye, what was that about?” Wooyoung crossed his arms, infinitely uncomfortable with the fact that it appeared to be San they were interrogating.

The demon in question remained against the far wall, staring back unblinking from his blood red eyes. At the sound of Wooyoung’s voice, he turned his head slightly to face him. But it wasn’t enough.

“Why did you need Seonghwa?” Yeosang pitched in. “You said it couldn’t be an animal or a commoner. Why?”

Finally, San blinked. But again he said nothing.

Jongho sighed and slammed his fist against the bars, trying and failing to intimidate the creature. “You had better leave San! Or we’ll find a way to drag you out screaming.”

Seeing that this was going nowhere, Hongjoong rose and beckoned for the others to follow. “He’s not getting out of there anytime soon, and the rest of us need to talk.”

They took their conversation to the forecastle, where they could keep their eyes on the dark and distant hull of Babylon’s ship in the distance as well as speak openly.

“We’re it,” Hongjoong sighed, running a hand through his hair. “The others need to stay and recover. But Babylon has to be stopped, and I don’t want to risk a shootout, which means—”

“Land ho!”

It was Yeosang, with his spyglass trained on the mountainous blob that Babylon was headed for.

“—we go to him,” Hongjoong finished his sentence and squinted through his own spyglass.

All four gathered their wits and inspected the island before them. Wooyoung borrowed Yeosang’s spyglass and peered at it himself.

“His home?”

“More like his lair, the villainous snake,” Jongho sneered, and then shrugged when Wooyoung balked at his harsh sarcasm. “What? Never have I wanted to eviscerate someone as badly as I do him.”

Wooyoung shook his head and tuned in as Hongjoong laid out the plan.

“Yeosang and Jongho— I need you in stealth gear at the longboats in five. Wooyoung, I’m trusting you to stay here and keep an eye on everyone.”

Wooyoung couldn’t stop a childish whine from escaping.

“But I could be of use to you out there, why do I have to stay and—”

“San seems to respond to you,” Hongjoong cut him off with a hand on his shoulder. “I need you to keep trying with him, and look after the others.”

It felt like being sidelined, and Wooyoung didn’t like that. But he dropped his head and mumbled in agreement.

Five minutes later, Hongjoong was saddled up with as many weapons as he could fit under his blackest clothing and pushing a longboat out over the water.

Having said their goodbyes, Jongho and Yeosang joined him and got in, helping to lower the boat. Jongho began to row without prompt but Yeosang turned and kept his eyes on the ATEEZ. “The others won’t be happy that you left without explaining anything,” Yeosang muttered.

Hongjoong shook his head. “This ends tonight. One way or another.” And that was the end of it.

...

To Yeosang’s relief, he was stationed to keep a lookout once the three reached the island. There was a single building on top of the northern facing cliff and Jongho and Hongjoong were making their way up to it.

Somehow in the chaos following the battle, Yeosang’s nerves had calmed. He wasn’t entirely sure why, but the most plausible answer was that having seen what he had in the past 24 hours, how much worse could it get?

He loaded his gun and wondered if Wooyoung was having any luck with San.

...

“I knew you’d be back.”

Wooyoung almost jumped in surprise.

San had finally spoken from his cell, just as he entered the brig.

His voice was still dark and unfamiliar, but at least he was talking.

“How could you be sure?”

Wooyoung settled across from him, sitting in a non-threatening way against the opposing wall.

San tilted his head in what seemed to be a gesture of curiosity. The corners of his lips raised, and fear settled in Wooyoung’s stomach.

“San trusts you immensely.”

To hear him speaking in third person was off-putting, but what he said intrigued Wooyoung even more.

“He let you in on the truth— on his weakness to resist me— before anyone else.”

It was smug of the demon to say, but not entirely incorrect.

“And you kept his secret.”

Wooyoung frowned. This wasn’t about his blunders, it was about the demon and what he was after.

“So? You think I’ll be a cooperative host candidate for your demon friends?”

San laughed a disquieting laugh. “No. Were you listening at all? We don’t need the blood of a commoner. We need the blood of a king.”

Wooyoung’s flesh began to crawl as things started to fall in place. “Seonghwa.”

“Yes. Inhabiting you or anyone else is a waste of time. Seonghwa is the sacrifice.”

“Sacrifice for what?” Wooyoung knew it was dangerous to be so transparent about his questions with the demon, but this one was at the root of everything and he needed it answered.

San scoffed and shifted where he sat. “You know nothing of demons, do you?”

Wooyoung didn’t dignify that with a response. Eventually, San continued.

“We can inhabit whomever we wish, but the more powerful and influential the individual, the further our influence will reach.”

“What, like an... invasion?”

“Of sorts. With the help of a master sorcerer, an army of demons could inhabit every human on the face of the earth. No such sorcerer exists, not even Babylon, though he tried. The other way is through the sacrifice.”

He looked at Wooyoung like it was obvious.

“Seonghwa is currently second in line to the throne. All I needed was to make him my new host.”

Suddenly, Wooyoung stood up. San’s eyes followed him, suspicious.

As the demon’s plan unfolded before him, Wooyoung realised none of them were truly safe in his presence. He began to back towards the door, and San leapt to his feet and gripped the bars. Fangs shot from his mouth as Wooyoung picked up the pace.

“There are more of us lying in wait! No one is safe, we’ll get to the sacrifice eventually—”

Wooyoung slammed the door shut and made for the infirmary. All three patients were asleep, but it wasn’t them that he needed. He tore through San’s desk, searching every crevice for the spellbook pages, or any information on dark magic.

Finally, curled up in a ball in the bottom drawer, he found them and began to read.

It all made sense.

Possessing Seonghwa was an easy avenue to power by killing the king and crown prince and assuming the throne.

And this demon had almost done it.

The secret lay in a line at the end of the page. There were two steps. First; spill his blood. Second; look him in the eyes. The eyes are windows to the soul.

Wooyoung lowered his shaking hand and dropped the pages back on the desk.

Seonghwa’s blood had been spilled, but his eyes had fallen shut.

Wooyoung’s stalling back on the island had prevented the demon from completing the process. And now he was stuck inside San, until someone came to him with blood and open eyes.

As an extra measure, Wooyoung rifled through the bandage collection and selected some strips of cloth, tying them as blindfolds around the heads of the three patients.

San would have to hold on a little longer.

...

Jongho slammed the metal pick into the slab of rock above him and continued to haul himself up.

He had a pick in each hand, and a rope tied to a makeshift harness around his waist, that Hongjoong was attached to.

They were halfway up the cliff and, judging by Yeosang’s thumbs up from below, they had still gone unnoticed.

His muscles were aching, but he knew he could cross the distance with only a few more pulls so he latched the pick in his right hand into the rock next to the other one and heaved.

Hongjoong was thankfully light and his weight was distributed evenly as he swung underneath, kicking off the cliff-face when he got too close to it.

There was one last ridge to get over before they made it to the surface, and Jongho strained with all his might to pull himself and Hongjoong over it.

Hongjoong patted the youngest’s back gratefully as they waved down at Yeosang. “Good work, it should be easier on the way down.”

The two of them clung to the shadows, keeping their footsteps light and blending into the night. “Masks up,” Hongjoong ordered. Soon they reached a mansion.

“That window is open,” Jongho pointed out, already swinging the grappling rope. On Hongjoong’s nod, he sent it up, waiting for the telltale clink of the weight finding its mark.

Both paused and listened for noise, preparing to disappear should anyone have been roused, but all remained silent.

Again Hongjoong nodded, and Jongho began to scale the rope.

He was adept enough at rigging to clamber up quickly and once he crossed the ledge and signalled down to Hongjoong, the captain made his way up just as fast.

Jongho helped him in and then retrieved the rope, coiling it while Hongjoong moved about what appeared to be a bedroom.

“Babylon’s?” Jongho whispered. Hongjoong looked up from the papers scattered across the desk and nodded. The two moved out into a hallway. “Finish checking the upstairs level,” Hongjoong’s voice was low as he began to descend the staircase. “I’ll look around down here.”

Jongho nodded and turned to the nearest door, knife in hand.

He took a deep breath and cracked it open.

Downstairs, the place was eerily quiet. Hongjoong moved soundlessly from room to room, wondering how the place was maintained without servants.

Probably with magic, he realised.

In his haste to get back to Jongho, he almost missed a door.

It was marked with the word “Infirmary.”

Of course!

Babylon had been injured in the explosion just hours earlier, it made sense that he’d be staying in the infirmary to recuperate.

His hand found the handle and he slowly began to turn it before an almost imperceptible noise sounded from back down the hallway.

Hongjoong froze.

After a moment, he released the handle and began to sneak toward the sound. It was like muffled footsteps, the owner of them trying to mask the sound and move about unnoticed.

He reached the entryway, half afraid it was his imagination playing tricks or Babylon’s magic toying with their minds, until he saw it.

It was a person, stealthily creeping towards him until both stopped in their tracks at the sight of each other.

Hongjoong lowered his mask in shock.

“Eden?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the cliffhanger hehe but you should be used to this by now. Plus I gave you a long chapter, however tense it was :P Just so you guys know I am letting you, the readers, vote for the next member backstory spinoff on twitter (@tiny_tokki) through dm or the poll, so get in your opinions now! Hope you enjoyed and don’t forget to comment! (The more comments, the more motivated I am to write so…..)


	6. Eden's Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hongjoong cursed his stupidity. In the three seconds he spent gaping at Eden, he had drawn his gun.

Hongjoong cursed his stupidity.

In the three seconds he spent gaping at Eden, he had drawn his gun.

Hongjoong had to bite his lip to stop it from quivering. “This is a dream.” The words were ghosts stealthily escaping as puffs of air. “I’ve dreamed it before.”

Something shone in the eyes of the other, but his gun remained directly aimed at Hongjoong. If he heard him, he said nothing.

That’s when Hongjoong realised— this couldn’t be Eden.

_His_ Eden would never point a gun at him.

Hongjoong drew his own gun with quivering hands.

“How dare you wear his face,” he meant it to come out harsher than it did, a growl dying in the back of his throat. “Show your true self, coward.”

“Coward?” 

Finally he spoke. 

It was the tone of voice that meant authority. No more fooling around, because the stakes were life and death when Eden spoke that way.

Perhaps Babylon’s impersonation was more accurate because he had actually known the person he was pretending to be.

“You’re the one wearing the face of someone else,” Eden gritted out and stepped closer.

Hongjoong’s eyes narrowed. How many levels of deception was Babylon playing with here?

“If you think I won’t shoot because you look like him, you don’t know me at all.” Even as Hongjoong said the words, he wasn’t sure he could do it. Maybe if he closed his eyes like he had when Babylon looked like Mingi...

“Alright, here’s how this is going to go,” Eden was still advancing, a fire growing in his eyes. “I’m going to give you five seconds to tell me where Hongjoong is.”

Hongjoong’s brows furrowed at this. Why would Babylon bother asking when he knew Hongjoong was right in front of him? A sliver of doubt entered his mind that he immediately tried to chase away.

What if this _was_ the real Eden?

Bang!

He had taken too long.

A bullet zoomed past, startlingly close to his face, and Hongjoong’s arms came flying up to guard his head, his own gun clattering to the ground.

When he cracked his eyes open, the smoking gun had lowered and Eden was looking at him in confusion.

Again, the thought invaded. It might actually be him...

Eden sprung forward suddenly and Hongjoong realised this was it.

This was the end.

Jongho was going to find his dead body in the hallway of Babylon’s tower and report it to Yeosang, heartbroken. Yeosang would be terrified, he wouldn’t know what to do except to go home before anyone else was killed. The two of them would be numb from the shock.

Then they would row back to the ATEEZ. Maybe they’d bring his body with them for a proper burial at sea. 

They’d relay the tragic news with tears in their eyes. Maybe they’d be too shocked to cry. 

Wooyoung would be upset that he’d been left behind, he’d run through all the possible outcomes if he had come and blame himself for obeying orders. Hopefully he wouldn’t lash out against Yeosang and Jongho.

San, when they figured out how to bring him back and destroy the demon, would be so confused. It would be like waking up from a deep, deep sleep to find the world burning in chaos and blood. Everything you once knew, gone without apology or explanation.

Mingi would try to be strong and take over as Captain, but he wouldn’t know what to do or where to start. The responsibility of all the lives onboard would weigh heavily. He would feel lost and scared. Probably for a long time.

Yunho wouldn’t be able to accept it. Maybe he would have to work through the trauma for years, and he’d always be changed by it. He would wonder what he could have done and wish that he had done it.

Seonghwa... Seonghwa would shut down. He’d close himself off. And then he’d shove away his own grief and shoulder everyone else’s.

Hongjoong wished— his final wish, he realised— that Seonghwa would forgive himself. That he would let himself feel the loss and help the others to do the same. That he would protect the family— Hongjoong’s family— from the threats that still existed against them and also from themselves.

Would they be angry with him?

Would they seek revenge for his death?

For all his confidence and all his past victories, his encouraging words and inspirational speeches about how they were all going to survive together, and remake the world to be a place where they could be free...

He had simply been gunned down in an instant. Not even defending himself because he had thought maybe— just _maybe_— this person was Eden. And he couldn’t bring himself to shoot.

A hand closed around his wrist.

Hongjoong opened his eyes again. It seemed he wasn’t dead.

“It’s really you.”

Eden was staring, wide-eyed, at the burn scar on Hongjoong’s wrist.

“Babylon wouldn’t know about this.”

It was true, Hongjoong thought as he let Eden pull him to his feet.

Babylon had been marooned before the Navy ambushed them. He didn’t know about the fire ships and the mast which fell on Hongjoong’s wrist, pinning him to the deck...

Only Eden and Hongjoong knew about that. Which meant both of them were real.

_ Real._

It took a few blinks at the ceiling and a hesitant grasp on the man’s very real hand for it to hit Hongjoong. He was real. He was here. This was _him_. It was finally happening. He let himself be pulled into a gentle hug and exhaled everything. 

“I’m sorry, I-I really thought you were Babylon,” Eden was stumbling over his words. “I almost shot you, you could have died...”

_ It wouldn’t be the first time._

Eden laughed a watery laugh. Hongjoong must have spoken out loud. He let Eden pull back to get a good look at him.

Eden looked equally shaken to see a figment of his imagination alive and breathing in front of him. Misty eyed, he scanned Hongjoong’s face. 

Suddenly, Hongjoong remembered what he had come here to do. The real Eden was somehow in front of him, which meant Babylon was still—

“In the infirmary!”

...

Yeosang fought the pull of sleep on his eyelids the longer he waited.

It was a losing battle, no matter how intently he gazed at the stars or listened to the nighttime noise. Eventually, he got up and began to pace. 

The island was small, home to only one building. The tower at the top of the cliff was most likely the best vantage point, but Yeosang didn’t want to attempt to scale the rock face as Jongho and Hongjoong had all by himself. He decided instead to walk around the perimeter of the island.

There was a whooping call of some unrecognisable species of bird that piqued his interest, but he didn’t follow it into the brush. He had a job to do and he refused to be distracted.

Hongjoong and Jongho were already taking too long and an anxious feeling was once again blooming in Yeosang’s chest. They should have killed him by now. It was a quick assassination, a one and done type operation, and they must have run into some complication if they hadn’t reappeared yet.

As Yeosang rounded the eastern face, something caught his eye. 

A singular rowboat, like theirs, abandoned on the beach. It looked like it had been manned by one person only and then dragged up and left there until that person returned.

Yeosang’s stomach clenched with uneasiness.

There was no way to warn the others that they might run into someone else, so he had no choice but to move on. He hummed a song quietly to relax himself, unsure where he remembered it from.

The southern end of the island gradually sloped into a hill and, welcoming the exercise as a distraction, Yeosang ascended it and was faced with the back end of the tower. 

Suddenly feeling very exposed, he crouched in the foliage and drew his weapon. He felt much more helpful here, close to the scene if Hongjoong or Jongho had need of him.

Just when he had begun to think he was overreacting to nothing, a movement came from a first story window.

The shutters opened slowly, whoever was inside attempting to be quiet and not draw attention to themselves. Yeosang trained his gun on the window. It could be Hongjoong or Jongho, but it could also be Babylon. Yeosang was ready for either scenario.

A hand appeared on the windowsill, and then a body followed it. Yeosang leaned forward ever so slightly to catch a glimpse. 

It was Babylon.

He was struggling with a bandage wrapped around the side of his face that was slipping off. 

Yeosang steadied his breath in a moment of hesitation and then fired.

...

Jongho opened the door knob and entered the first room. There weren’t any windows and it was too dark to see anything, so he groped for a lantern and slammed into what felt like a bookcase. 

He jerked back in surprise and felt something swinging just above his head. A lantern.

After feeling around for some matches and striking a flame, he blinked at the invasion of light and studied the room. 

It was more of a closet than a room, the only object occupying it being the bookcase.

The shelves were completely full of bottles, vials, jars, and boxes of all manner of unusual things. Jongho perused through metalwork instruments, severed tentacles, and hand crafted jewellery before remembering what he was supposed to be doing. 

He returned the sparkling potion he held to its place and turned back to the door.

The knob wouldn’t turn.

Jongho jiggled it again, but still it resisted. Perplexed, he pushed on the door itself and groaned when it refused to open. Something must be stuck on the exterior, or maybe a hinge was loose.

Jongho faced the shelf again, this time to check if there were any enchanted swords or sceptres to help him get out. His little knife wasn’t exactly ideal for slicing through a door-sized slab of wood, and he didn’t want to waste the gunpowder.

Spying a little weather beaten book on the top shelf, Jongho reached for it. A little light reading while trapped in this closet wouldn’t hurt. And if Hongjoong took too long finding him and letting him out...

Well, Jongho didn’t see why he couldn’t just smash the door down.

...

When Yeosang opened his eyes, the body was slumped over the sill, unmoving.

It had felt like when he tranquillised San, but not. That was a real bullet, and Babylon was really bleeding to death.

Something hardened inside Yeosang and he got to his feet. His hands didn’t shake as they usually did and he walked with purpose to the body.

Babylon’s mouth remained pressed into a firm line as Yeosang dragged him all the way out of the window and laid him on the grass. He lowered his mask and let the sorcerer get a good look at his killer.

“You were an honourable man once.”

“Weren’t we all?” Babylon gritted out between waves of pain, the red stain on his chest growing quickly.

Yeosang pulled the sorcerer’s sword out of its sheath and placed it in his hands, cold fingers wrapping around the hilt. “My Captain cared for you then. That is why I’m allowing you to die with some dignity.”

Babylon’s lips remained pursed, no plea for forgiveness in his eyes as the light began to fade from them. Yeosang leaned in closer and lowered his voice, almost to a whisper.

“You ruined my life,” It was spoken as an undisputed fact, and both knew it. “You’ll understand why I took yours.”

Babylon grunted once from the pain, words trailing away as his stamina waned. “It will be pointless in the end. You- You cannot escape judgement. The obstacles are laid... all around you.” He took in a shuddering breath. “Tell your Captain— his time is running out.”

With that, it seemed Babylon’s time had run out. The final breath like a single grain of sand, hitting the bottom of the hourglass with a note of finality. Yeosang closed the clouded eyes of the dead and turned away.

A massive load had just been lifted from his shoulders. The final image of Babylon replaced the picture Yeosang had burned into his mind; the corrupt sorcerer from out of his worst nightmares come to life.

“Yeosang!”

He turned with surprise towards Hongjoong’s voice, shaking off past memories to see his captain climb through the opened window.

He was followed by a man Yeosang vaguely recognised from drawings. Eden.

“Is that really...?”

“Yes,” Hongjoong confirmed, breathless, before kneeling next to the dead body in the grass. “You killed him?”

“Um, y-yes,” Yeosang’s gaze was still on Eden. The stranger didn’t meet his eyes but hung back, deferring to Hongjoong. “He came through that window a moment ago. What were you doing in there?”

“I ran into Eden,” Hongjoong looked up, amazement lingering in his own eyes. “We got... held up. Babylon tried to escape, I see.”

Yeosang’s jaw tightened. It was a good thing that he had pulled the trigger when he did.

“I stopped him before he got anywhere.”

“Fortunate you were here,” Hongjoong stood and smiled at him. Yeosang needn’t doubt himself so much, bringing him had been the right decision. 

Yeosang glanced back over at the window. No one else was climbing out of it. “Where is Jongho?” 

“He must still be upstairs,” Hongjoong immediately turned back the way he had come, gun already drawn. Yeosang followed him through the window to watch his back. The light footsteps behind him indicated that Eden was following as well.

Yeosang didn’t know how he felt about Eden. The man hadn’t spoken a single word yet he could feel waves of something akin to shame rolling off of him. 

The Eden of Yeosang’s childhood was a mysterious and deadly pirate, the hero of Hongjoong’s stories and the promised harbinger of his own future.

This man was so grave and silent, Yeosang might have mistaken him for a scholar. Not a fighter.

Stealthily, Hongjoong led them through the infirmary and back into the hall, then up the stairs into another hallway. 

“This is where Jongho and I split,” he whispered, eyeing all of the closed doors carefully. 

Just as Yeosang went up to one, hand reaching for the handle, a loud crack sounded right next to his face. A fist had punched through the door and wood splintered in all directions.

Yeosang stumbled back and watched in awe as Jongho kicked several more times, enough that the door barely remained standing. When his entire body finally made it out he huffed at them in annoyance.

“The door was jammed.”

“I can see that,” Hongjoong laughed. “Shall we?”

“Is that everyone?” Finally Eden spoke. Jongho flashed Yeosang a look, a clear question in his eyes that Yeosang shook his head subtly to. Hongjoong answered in the affirmative and began back down the stairs and out of the building.

“Captain, I’ve found something of interest,” Jongho went to Hongjoong’s side, leaving Yeosang with the silent Eden.

He could feel his eyes on him, sizing him up. There was no ill intent, but the gaze pierced through and laid him bare. Eden seemed to be quietly contemplating, as if Yeosang had told him all his deepest secrets. 

“This book,” Jongho was saying. “It has relevant information on demons. I think we may be able to help San.” 

“Where did you find it?” Hongjoong turned it over in his hands as they crept down the staircase. “That closet I was stuck in,” Jongho explained. “It contained all kinds of magical things.”

Again, Hongjoong let loose a quiet giggle. “That’s three things that have gone right for us this time. Babylon finished, Eden found, and a solution for San. Good work, both of you.” Here he turned back to nod at Yeosang as well. 

Yeosang pulled his mask back up to hide the blush. “Rarely do any of our operations run this fluidly,” he mumbled by way of explanation to Eden. 

“I’m still expecting the Navy to pop out from behind a door and shoot at us,” Jongho joined in, drawing his gun just in case.

“Actually, I did see a boat on the eastern side of the island,” Yeosang suddenly recalled the sign that had brought him up to the tower in the first place.

“Mine,” Eden reassured him. “I suppose I’ll have to hike over and fetch it.”

“No need,” Hongjoong called back as he swung the front doors wide. “You’re coming with us, aren’t you?”

“If...If you’ll have me,” Eden answered haltingly, as if it wasn’t obvious. As if Hongjoong hadn’t spent the last couple years of his life preparing for this moment.

The four of them stood outside Babylon’s tower. It was well past midnight, and the moon shone through clusters of clouds, illuminating the beach below.

“It would be better to go around the back than try to climb down that thing,” Yeosang advised. Jongho nodded along and Eden chimed in, “I agree. There’s something I want to do first anyway.”

Silently they marched around to the back of the house where Babylon’s fresh corpse was already attracting flies. “Let’s send him off in my boat,” Eden suggested. “And head back to the ship on yours.”

He shouldered the body and began down the hill. The others followed at a distance, for privacy’s sake.

“How exactly did you just _find him_ inside that mansion?” Jongho muttered in Hongjoong’s direction.

“Eden’s been following us. He was there to kill Babylon too,” Hongjoong answered carefully. “At first both of us thought the other was Babylon disguising as one of us. By the time we figured it out, he had escaped through the infirmary window. Yeosang shot him there.”

“He came to kill Babylon? Making up for his past mistake, then?”

Hongjoong shushed him as they reached the eastern beach. A respectful silence settled over them as Eden placed Babylon’s body in the boat and sent it off to sea. The birds would have their share of him once he hit open ocean.

No one spoke or protested, and as soon as Eden turned to face them they all proceeded to their own longboat without comment.

It was even more difficult to keep his eyes open once Yeosang was sitting again, and Hongjoong encouraged him to sleep. Eden had rowed them just out of sight of the island when he finally spoke.

“You built all this?”

He wasn’t referring to the insignificant rowboat they were on. His eyes were on Yeosang and Jongho as they settled into sleeping positions.

“Ah, yes!” Hongjoong beamed, genuine pride for his ship and crew shining through. “My ship— you’ll see her soon—she was much, much smaller at first. But it’s grown. Grown into a family, in fact.”

A long forgotten innocence returned to his expression, the smile an unshakeable fixture as Hongjoong watched the sleeping faces of his friends.

“You’ve been through trials together.”

“More than I could count,” Hongjoong murmured, pulling Jongho’s head into his lap to make him more comfortable.

“Imprisonment, deadly disease, wild sea monsters, hallucinogenic fruit, horrible weather of all kinds, an entire slave island run by a dictator, multiple battles and chases with the Navy, the frozen tundra in the North itself, now demon possession in one of our own... So many scrapes with death, and yet we’re all here.”

Hongjoong’s eyes shone, the brilliant stars reflected in them and washed among gathering tears. Tears of happiness for once. 

“Now we have you, so... So we really are whole again.”

Eden smiled, a little brokenly, but genuine.

“The North is a frontier best left to its own devices,” he sighed, remembering his own encounters with some of the enemies the ATEEZ had faced. “Unless you seek death, or have the means to explore it, stick to the sea.” 

“When did you travel there?” Hongjoong was eager for more stories. It was like being a child again, and begging to hear about all the adventures Eden had experienced.

“The crystal necklace I gave you— I got it in the North. It’s a key to the treasure I buried in the—”

“—In the East! We found that treasure,” Hongjoong lowered his voice so as not to wake the others. “I didn’t realise you procured the crystal key yourself. It was quite the ordeal to reach that magical cave when we had to destroy it. It was stealing Jongho’s memories.” 

He glanced down at the sleeping boy, petting his hair gently for a moment while considering what could have been if they were unsuccessful in that quest.

Eden nodded along apologetically, but a darker shadow crossed his face and made Hongjoong uneasy again. “There are many things you don’t know about me.”

It was cryptic, but worse, it was ominous. As if the things Hongjoong didn’t know could hurt him, and possibly the others.

Some of his bubbling excitement at being reunited faded. It was time to start asking the questions that had been building since his visit with Maddox.

“What happened, Eden? How long have you known I was alive?”

There was a long pause before he spoke, only the rhythmic sounds of the oars breaking through the silence.

“After the ambush, I took my crew and we escaped to the East. Many men were lost along the way, almost all of them. Even Maddox was captured by the Navy. I don’t know where he or any of my surviving officers are.” Eden’s eyes were in his lap as he pulled the oars, a faraway look in his eye. “I buried my treasure and intended to live out my days on that island.”

“Life was very dark, you see,” his voice had become a tortured whisper. “I resigned myself to die there. That was my punishment for my failures.”

Slowly his head raised.

“And then... then came word of Babylon. A messenger bird sent to me by the mystic who advised my journey. A warning that he was alive and upsetting the magical balance of the universe. It took every last drop of resolve left in my blood to convince myself to track him down. But I remembered what he had almost done to my crew, and I bent myself on exacting revenge. That is when I discovered you survived.”

“You found us when you were following him.”

Eden looked at him curiously. “You knew I was there? All I had left was that puny little rowboat, I shouldn’t have been spotted.”

“We found your compass,” Hongjoong smirked at him, pleased that he’d been able to surprise his mentor. “It pointed to you. You were following Babylon and Babylon was following us.”

Something burned low in Eden’s eyes, smouldering embers of regret and not the blazing anger from before.

“But I don’t understand why you didn’t reveal yourself,” Hongjoong’s voice softened here, and he stopped petting Jongho’s hair for a moment.

Eden shifted uncomfortably, more scared than Hongjoong had ever seen him. He was losing control now, his carefully constructed persona- the man Hongjoong had known, dissipating before his eyes. 

“We chased you halfway around the world, Eden, me and my crew as well.” The words held no bitterness, only confusion. “So that you could give them what you promised me.” Why did Eden suddenly close himself off, especially at such a joyous time as this? 

What was he hiding?

“Piracy is no life for you.”

Hongjoong blinked, taken aback. “Don’t you think it’s a bit late for that?”

“You shouldn’t have been aboard that day. You shouldn’t have been involved with us in the first place,” Eden’s voice shook with fear. “It was my fault, all of it.”

Hongjoong clutched Jongho tighter. He needed to know what he was hiding.

“Why do you say that?”

“I should have told you long ago.” 

Hongjoong fell silent. He didn’t dare ask.

“It all started that night your parents died.”

“I don’t see how. I didn’t meet you until after that,” Hongjoong ignored the twinge of recognition in the back of his mind.

Eden shook his head, unable to meet Hongjoong’s eyes. It took him far too long to get any words out, and Hongjoong began to feel sick. It was not going to be good, whatever he had to say. 

“I was there. The night they drowned, in the storm, I was there. I saw it happen.”

“You— what?”

_ The eyes. _

The eyes that watched him become separated from his parents in the tempest.

The eyes that watched his parents die and did nothing to stop it.

“I wanted to save them. Hongjoong, you have to believe me, I did. But I’m a wanted criminal, they would have recognised me, they would have turned me in—”

His voice was barely audible over the waves but it boomed in Hongjoong’s ears as he reeled in disbelief.

“You let them die— you _killed_ them— because of what they _might_ have done? Because they might have _gotten you in trouble?”_

Eden was shaking his head in remorse but Hongjoong could barely see it through the gathering tears.

“Why did you seek me out after and teach me? How could you? How _dare_ you?”

His voice broke and he began to feel lightheaded but he needed an answer. He was still holding his breath, waiting for Eden to laugh and tell him he should see his own face.

But Eden would never joke about such a thing.

“I thought... to make up for what I did...”

“So all those things you said... about my potential. They were all lies.”

Every time Eden told him his skill was extraordinary, every time he told him he was proud.

Hongjoong could no longer trust it.

This entire ordeal had been illusion after illusion, and Hongjoong was ready for the curtain to fall. 

Eden didn’t answer. There was no answer that would be able to hold together the shards of Hongjoong’s heart as it shattered.

“They were right,” he grit out around angry tears. “All of them. Maddox, Seonghwa, even Babylon— they were right about you.”

“I realise now that piracy is no place for you...”

“So you’re going to take that away, too?” Hongjoong hissed through his teeth, quiet enough not to wake Jongho. “The sea— the one thing I had to help me cope and now you’re telling me I should never have come?”

“It’s not like that,” Eden’s voice rose in volume. He pulled the oars harder and the boat moved at a faster pace. “I put you in so much danger to rectify my mistake. I thought you _died_ Hongjoong, you have to understand... it was selfish and irresponsible to try to bring you along. I stayed away because I felt- felt guilty. It should never have happened, I should never have approached you, I’m sor—”

“Well, too late,” Hongjoong whispered brokenly, slumping back into his seat in a sudden wave of exhaustion. “I’ve built this despite your misgivings. And I don’t intend to stop now.”

He looked past Eden and saw a looming shape in the water.

It was the ATEEZ, but all the lights were out. All the lanterns extinguished and no colours being flown, so she was only recognisable by her sails.

“There she is,” Hongjoong breathed, sitting forward slightly even as Jongho began to stir in his lap.

“What?” Eden slowed to a stop in confusion, finally relaxing his grip on the oars. 

“The ATEEZ. There she is,” Hongjoong pointed over Eden’s shoulder. 

Their argument was tabled for now because the longer Hongjoong looked at the ship, the more concerned he became.

Something was very wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hm I’ve had parts of this chapter written since July at least but it was a really difficult one for some reason. Yall are not ready for the next part and that is all I will say about that 👀 Feel free to yell at me and/or share your theories and questions on my twitter and cc @tiny_tokki and have a great day :)


	7. Daybreak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bad feeling had settled in his gut that something was happening to San, the real San who was buried deep in his own mind and fighting to get back out. Ever since the demon had switched them, Wooyoung had been worried that with each passing moment they lost a little bit of the real San.

The world was so dark on opening his eyes that Mingi was not sure he had opened them. The familiar washing of waves against the hull of the ship met his ears and he listened intently to it, blinking several times.

No, he was awake. His hands flexed at his sides and he registered himself laying flat on his stomach on a table of some kind... perhaps in the infirmary...

Slowly, while his fingers grasped for the surface beneath him, his mind grasped for memories of what had befallen the previous day.

His back twinged with pain and he recalled leaping through fire and wind to push Hongjoong out of the way of the explosion, then fleeting moments of consciousness that moved from the sand to the trees to the ship... Hongjoong speaking with him, thanking him for saving his life and then running off to deal with some other problem...

After that, nothing.

Mingi began to feel the slight dampness on his back where ointment had been rubbed, and bandages stuck gingerly to the burns that were growing with pain as he remembered they were there.

He let out a deep groan, partly muffled from where his face was squished against the table, but a response came from the other side of the room.

“Shh!”

It was hissed with a frightened urgency and it made Mingi jump as he looked around in vain for the owner of the voice.

It was still so dark he couldn’t see anything. Why couldn’t he see anything?

“Who’s there?”

Suddenly there were hands on his face, and a cloth pulled away from his eyes, revealing a dimly lit infirmary.

Wooyoung frowned down at him, brows pulled low in concern as he surveyed the wounds on his back, almost as if making the split second decision of whether they were severe enough to inhibit some emergency plan he was running through.

In his hand was the blindfold he had just pulled off Mingi’s face.

“What’s going on?” Mingi croaked, pushing up to support himself on his forearms and ignoring the trembling that came with it. Something was definitely wrong, judging from the way Wooyoung was looking at him.

“It’s the demon, he needs to spill your blood and look into your eyes to possess you, and you’ve already got some blood exposed on your back so I just didn’t want to take the chance—“

“He told you this?” Mingi cut him off before he hyperventilated. “Where’s everyone else...?”

Only Seonghwa and Yunho were in the room with them. Both asleep, both blindfolded.

“San’s in the brig and the others, they... they left,” Wooyoung sighed and wrung the blindfold in his hands while Mingi struggled to sit up completely and face him. “They left?”

“They went to kill Babylon. We’re anchored near his island, we followed him here because he’s injured.”

“Killing Babylon?” Mingi’s voice raised slightly with a glance to make sure he wasn’t waking the others. “They just left without saying anything?”

“Mingi, you were all unconscious, and Hongjoong just wanted to end this and the chance arose so... so what were they supposed to do?” Wooyoung huffed in frustration. Mingi sensed it was more at being left behind than his own indignation. “Wait until he recovered and could easily wipe all of us out?”

Arguing was useless, so Mingi sighed and positioned himself so he was facing the others. “They’ll be alright?” He didn’t like the grotesque stitches in Seonghwa’s neck, or the tight bandages around Yunho’s ribs. Wooyoung nodded.

“We all made it, by some miracle. I don’t think we’ll all be so lucky a second time, if Hongjoong fails to finish Babylon. And if we don’t have San.”

Again, Wooyoung’s eyes darted to the door.

“What is it?” Mingi finally whispered. “What’s San doing down there in the brig?”

“I don’t know,” Wooyoung admitted, not looking at him. “That’s what’s worrying me.”

Mingi swung his legs over the side of the table to step off, but was quickly stopped. “No, no, you’re still injured, Mingi,” Wooyoung grabbed him by the waist and hauled his taller form back onto the table. “You’ll hurt yourself moving around. Hongjoong told me to take care of you three, let me do my job.”

Mingi continued to fight back. Taking care of the ship was _his_ job and there wasn’t a good reason he shouldn’t be doing it—

“I need you to protect Seonghwa, please,” Wooyoung’s voice cracked and that halted both of them. “Please, Mingi, keep all your blindfolds on and protect Seonghwa. He’s the main target. It’s over if the demon gets to him.”

The honesty swimming in Wooyoung’s eyes was enough for Mingi to sit back down. Wooyoung pressed the blindfold into his hand and held it there for a moment. “I’m going to check on San. I’ll be back soon.”

Mingi’s stomach dropped but he sat there, helpless, as Wooyoung hurried out of the infirmary, unable to handle not knowing if San was alright.

The night deepened as Mingi waited for him. He didn’t put the blindfold back on yet, just in case one or both of the others awoke and were confused like he had been.

Carefully he got to his feet and tried walking back and forth until his balance came back to him and the pain was manageable.

Yunho groaned from his table after a few minutes. In an instant, Mingi was by his side, removing the blindfold and explaining what was happening. When movement came from Seonghwa a moment later, he repeated the procedure.

The three sat in an uncomfortable silence for awhile, Mingi trying not to count the minutes since Wooyoung disappeared.

“They went to kill Babylon?” Seonghwa asked quietly from where he sat.

“That’s what I was told,” Mingi sighed. “Wooyoung said Hongjoong wanted to finish him now as he’s freshly wounded. I haven’t been out, but I take it we’re anchored outside his island.”

Seonghwa let out a low breath and his eyes fell shut in worry. “It’s suicide,” there was a tinge of bitterness to his voice that grew as he spoke. “We don’t know how many men he has with him, we don’t know if there are Navy officers there, we don’t know if the three of them are all completely free of injury—“

“I’m just sad they didn’t say goodbye,” Yunho muttered from his seat. “What if they don’t come back...?”

Mingi set his jaw. They’d been down that road, and they weren’t going there again.

“They’ll come back to us.”

They had to.

...

Wooyoung’s shadow stretched across the wall, pulsating with each step he took in the direction of the brig. A chill trickled down his spine and he hesitated at the doorknob.

A bad feeling had settled in his gut that something was happening to San, the real San who was buried deep in his own mind and fighting to get back out. Ever since the demon had switched them, Wooyoung had been worried that with each passing moment they lost a little bit of the real San.

What would happen to him if he stayed in there much longer?

When they did get the demon out, how much of their San would be left?

It was hard enough to make do without him when three officers were injured and they were still anchored in hostile waters.

And more than that... they needed San. They needed his smiling face and his bright ideas and his loyal heart.

Wooyoung choked on a sigh and let his hand rest on the doorknob. It seemed like ages ago now, that he had been living with only an eye out for himself. Then everything had been turned around and now he would throw himself at any enemy for these people that had wiggled their way into his life.

This team was eight or nothing, and it seemed the world was always trying to pull them apart. As much as it tried, they would try harder to pull themselves back together.

Wooyoung would throw himself at an entire demon legion to get San back if he had to.

With a deep breath, he opened the door to the brig and stepped inside.

His candle sputtered and flickered to grow its circle of light, but Wooyoung couldn’t see anyone inside the cell.

He thrust the light forward and his stomach dropped. It was completely empty. Only the squeaking of a bilge rat in the corner interrupted the deathly silence.

Wooyoung almost dropped the candle in his haste to unlock the cell. The keys shook in his hands and he deposited them and the light on the floor before wrenching open the door.

How had he gotten out? Was he still hiding in here? Had he shapeshifted into the rat?

Wooyoung had his answer the moment he stepped in and the door swung shut behind him.

He turned slowly to see San standing there, a sly grin growing on his face.

Wooyoung’s memory took him back to looking up from his cannons, ready to fire, and Babylon’s entire ship disappearing before his eyes. He hadn’t vanished somewhere else, Wooyoung realised now, he had just gone invisible.

He didn’t have time to contemplate how the demon had apparently commandeered San’s magical knowledge to pull this trick on him, because a fist was flying towards his face.

Wooyoung ducked it and tackled San by his midsection, pushing him back into the closed cell door and trying to figure out how to turn him around, close him in the cell again, and get out without letting him out too.

San’s fingers tangled in his hair, yanking back. Wooyoung’s neck protested and soon the ripping sensation became too much. His hands released San, and the moment they did, he was on the ground.

He tried to stumble back to his feet and a fist connected with his nose. Wooyoung’s eyes clouded over, a rushing flow of blood spurting from his face as rage swept through him.

The aching of his nose numbed as he threw back a rock hard right hook. San was caught in the jaw and reeled back. He turned to Wooyoung with a new fire in his eyes.

He shouldn’t have hesitated.

San tackled him again with brute force, an audible thud sounding. The two slammed into the wall and again Wooyoung had to duck a swing.

He had been in fights before, and had never held back. But as San hammered into his midsection until he slid back to the ground, he couldn’t find the will to retaliate within him.

This was San.

He couldn’t even open his mouth to tell him to stop.

A wave of nausea cramped his stomach as he curled around it. San switched tactics and grabbed him by the collar, dragging him up.

Everything in Wooyoung screamed to fight back, but he was paralysed.

“I wonder if Seonghwa will go down this easily too,” San chuckled before clamping onto Wooyoung’s arm.

Wooyoung’s eyes widened and he was flipped around. He struggled until he heard the material of his shirt beginning to rip, but it was no use. San had one hand on his arm and the other on his shoulder. He bent the flailing arm until it popped out of place, the crack filling Wooyoung’s ears. Pain rippled through his entire arm.

He didn’t have time to scream. The ground raced towards his face. As the blood ran into his eyes and the world grew dim, he wished he hadn’t left Seonghwa alone.

The clanging of the keys echoed down the hallway as San made off with them, and Wooyoung was left unconscious and locked away while the demon went to wreak havoc.

...

“Do you think he’ll remember any of this when we get him back?”

Mingi looked up from where he was fiddling with San’s unfinished bed box project in the corner of the infirmary.

Yunho had pulled his knees up to hug them, and he wasn’t looking at either him or Seonghwa. Mingi stood shakily and walked over. “I don’t know,” he answered quietly.

Both glanced at Seonghwa to see if he had anything to say, but he remained stone still, blindfold once again firmly affixed, and said nothing.

“What if he doesn’t?” Yunho bit his lip as soon as he’d asked the question. He’d been thinking about it for awhile and there wasn’t a positive outcome either way. “Do we tell him what he...did?”

“I think we have to,” Seonghwa spoke up before Mingi could respond. “We all know he’ll find out somehow.” He shifted uncomfortably for a moment before heaving himself off the table.

“Careful—“

“I’ve got it,” Seonghwa held out one hand to stop Mingi from rushing to the rescue, and the other firmly grasped the table so he didn’t lose his balance.

His shoulders relaxed and he dropped his hands once the world returned to normal, dark as it was.

“Something’s going on,” Yunho warned from the door, where he had gone to stand guard while Seonghwa was gathering his bearings. “It sounds like yelling.”

All three stilled and focused their ears on the distant sound. It was still too faint for them to figure out who it was, so Yunho carefully cracked open the door and poked his head out.

“Don’t,” Mingi whispered and gripped his arm. If it was San out there and he saw them, it was over. “It’s alright, his back is turned,” Yunho answered, barely louder than a single breath.

Mingi swallowed nervously and took Seonghwa’s hand. The older boy jumped at the sudden contact, but didn’t utter a sound. The room was silent as they listened intently.

San was ordering all the crew members to the gun deck. From the sound of it, one or two of them had raised an argument in confusion, since they weren’t all gunmen and had no reason to go there.

Yunho carefully shut the door again as men began to retreat into the lower decks.

“Why are they listening?” Mingi practically whimpered. “They think it’s just San,” Seonghwa realised. “They don’t know he’s been possessed, so they’re just following orders.”

“There goes our chance of backup,” Yunho groaned but wasted no time arming himself and putting the infirmary back in order.

“What are you doing?” Mingi’s voice was low and urgent, but he began helping tidy up anyway.

“He’s going to come looking for us, and he knows Seonghwa was injured,” Yunho answered calmly, going to Seonghwa’s side and taking an arm. “We need to make it look like we were never here.”

“But we can’t leave! Wooyoung—“

“Wooyoung isn’t here,” Yunho bit out and lowered his eyes in regret. “He told us to protect Seonghwa, so that’s what we need to do.”

Mingi sighed and took Seonghwa’s other arm, the three of them moving a little painfully towards the door when a noise suddenly came from behind it, halting them mid-step.

It was San, screaming complete nonsense.

Mingi and Yunho looked at each other with wide eyes, and Yunho crept back over to the door, pressing his ear to it.

“What’s going on?” Seonghwa whispered and was promptly shushed.

“He’s... fighting himself,” Yunho reported, peeking out the keyhole at San where he lay on the ground mere feet away from them, clutching his head and writhing around. He looked inhuman.

“San’s still in there,” Mingi breathed, partly relieved, partly worried. He would have to fight ferociously from the inside to gain control of his own body again.

“We can’t go out this way,” Yunho turned back around and shook his head at them, scanning the infirmary for some other exit. “He’ll see us for sure.”

“There’s a trapdoor,” Seonghwa suddenly said. “Under the rug...” He began removing his blindfold to show them where, but Mingi stopped him and lifted the rug himself.

“I see.”

There it was. A metal ring attached to the floor, and when Mingi lifted it, a small door opened outwards and a ladder beneath it led to the lower decks.

“And why is there a trapdoor in here?” Yunho wondered aloud, even as he placed a chair in front of the door to deter San and buy some more time.

“In case of a fire,” Seonghwa answered like it was obvious. “You know Hongjoong.”

“Right,” Mingi cleared his throat and tried to get back into the role of quartermaster. Yunho joined them and they glanced at each other again apprehensively. San had stopped screaming.

“What’s the plan, Mingi?” Yunho encouraged him before he could lose his nerve.

“We need to go somewhere he won’t expect, hide there, and turn out the lights,” Mingi decided. It was his job to be giving orders in the Captain’s absence, after all.

“And then what?” Seonghwa questioned. It was definitely the best course of action, but it couldn’t last forever.

“We’ll just have to figure that out when we get there,” Yunho sighed, helping Seonghwa through the trapdoor. “Get to the lowest deck and hide there. We’ll be right behind you.”

...

The ship looked from the outside to be completely abandoned. Yeosang stirred from where he lay and looked at it through his spyglass. No one was on the main deck, and even Eden was beginning to get an unsettling feeling.

“Jongho, time to wake up,” Hongjoong gently shook the younger boy awake until he sat up from where he lay in his lap and rubbed his eyes.

“What’s going on?” He pouted at the Captain, still disoriented at being awoken earlier than he expected.

“I don’t know,” Hongjoong told him honestly and rose as the boat came alongside the hull of the ATEEZ. He didn’t spare Eden a glance, but began climbing up the side of the ship, Jongho and Yeosang following dutifully.

Eden brought up the rear and pulleyed the longboat up the side as the three officers inspected the main deck and quarterdeck.

“Where is everyone?” Jongho muttered.

“I don’t know, but San has something to do with it,” Hongjoong checked the rigging just to be sure no one was up there and then made for the brig.

Inside the cell where San should be, was only a bloody, immobile body.

“Wooyoung!”

Yeosang grasped the bars and tried to open the cell to reach him, but it was locked.

“San did this,” Jongho realised. “He must be loose on the ship...”

“Pardon me,” Eden finally said from where he stood near the door to the brig. “But who is San and what exactly did he do?”

Hongjoong ignored him and simply removed an earring to pick the lock with.

“San is another officer, one of our friends. He found some of Babylon’s spellbook pages and sort of...accidentally summoned a demon? And he’s possessed now and also loose on this ship,” Jongho looked to Hongjoong who nodded at his explanation and wrenched the door open.

Eden’s eyebrows raised but he didn’t ask anything else, following the three into the cell where Yeosang immediately tried to bring Wooyoung back to consciousness.

The boy gasped with pain on waking. Yeosang took one look and knew what the problem was.

“He popped his arm out of the socket...”

“We have to put it back.”

They all knew that was what Hongjoong was going to say, but Wooyoung whimpered in anticipation anyway.

Yeosang nodded and took the injured arm in his hands. “Is there... is there something he can bite into at least?” He hesitated as Wooyoung’s eyes shone up at him in trepidation.

Jongho shed his jacket and put the sleeve of it in Wooyoung’s mouth. “I’ll hold him down,” he suggested with a nod for Yeosang to pull whenever he was ready.

Yeosang took a deep breath and braced his foot against Wooyoung’s side before slowly pulling the dislocated arm back down to align with the shoulder cup.

Wooyoung got louder the more the pain throbbed with the pulling of his limb, but valiantly made as little noise as he could. He cried with relief when the shoulder finally popped back into place.

Jongho removed the jacket from his mouth and helped tie it around like a makeshift sling while Yeosang pulled out a handkerchief and tried to wipe some of the blood off Wooyoung’s face.

“W-Where did you learn how to do that?” He quipped through his sniffles. Yeosang smiled at the memory. “On Si-Hyuk’s ship. I had to help the surgeon once in a firefight.”

Wooyoung hummed, not really focused enough to listen to the story but glad for the distraction. “Sorry for slobbering all over your jacket,” he said to Jongho once they had him cleaned up and sitting upright.

“Don’t worry about it,” Jongho clamped a hand on his uninjured shoulder. “It’s been soiled worse.”

Finally Wooyoung had a chance to look at his rescuers, and he realised with surprise that he didn’t know one of them.

“Wooyoung, this is Eden,” Hongjoong said shortly, putting his earring back in and looking at neither of them. “He’s been following Babylon, too.”

“And Babylon... is he...?”

“Dead,” Yeosang reassured him. “I killed him myself.”

Wooyoung drew back and looked at him in surprise. He hadn’t expected Yeosang to be the one to finish the job. He didn’t have time to comment on it, however.

“Hongjoong,” Eden sighed suddenly. “The demon dies if the host dies. Otherwise, we’ll need to wait until we can decode that book, and with a demon loose on this ship I don’t see how we can wait that long-“

“This is my ship,” Hongjoong hissed. “I give the orders.”

“We can recapture him and keep a closer eye on him,” Jongho spoke up with a little cough, trying to diffuse the tension.

“I’m sorry,” Wooyoung whispered from the floor. “I should never have left him unguarded.”

“It’s not your fault,” Hongjoong shook his head and lowered it. “I should have anticipated he’d go after Seonghwa again.”

“If he’s after him, he hasn’t found him yet,” Yeosang spoke up. Everyone turned to look at him in confusion. “We haven’t found Seonghwa either,” his voice grew in volume as he became more sure of himself. “And we’d know by now if San had him. They must be hiding somewhere.”

“Probably down in the guts,” Hongjoong caught on and began reloading his gun. “There’s a trapdoor from the infirmary to the lower levels. Not far from here.”

“How do you know that?” Jongho followed the cue and checked his own weapons.

“I built her, remember?” Hongjoong cracked a small smile before returning to the task at hand. “Wooyoung, can you fight if you need to?”

Wooyoung set his jaw and nodded, accepting Yeosang’s hand to pull him to his feet. He didn’t want to fight San anymore than he already had, but he would if it came to that.

“Then Jongho and Yeosang, you’re with me again. We need to find Seonghwa and the others and get them somewhere safe. That leaves you, Eden.”

Eden pressed his lips together tightly in discomfort at being given orders but didn’t intervene. Now was not the time.

“I’m trusting you to go with Wooyoung and try to talk to San. He’s still in there and if given the chance, I think you can help him fight back. At the very least you can distract him while we find the others. Are we in agreement?”

Again there was only the creaking of the hull for a moment before Eden answered.

“Yessir.”

...

Seonghwa had one hand on the rungs of the trapdoor ladder and the other holding onto Mingi’s.

The world had been dark as long as he’d been blindfolded, but he still felt it grow darker as he descended into the guts of the ship.

The air was cool and musty in the lower decks, where sun rarely penetrated and the humidity of mid-autumn in the tropics condensed into little droplets.

He stepped off the second ladder to the lowest deck and tried to stop his legs from shaking. San was screaming again, but it didn’t quite sound like him.

“Alright, I’m extinguishing all the lights so he doesn’t find us,” Yunho’s voice sounded from several feet away. “Don’t take your blindfold off or make noise under any circumstances. We’ll be right here.”

Seonghwa obeyed as Mingi led him and released him to carefully curl up on the floor in the deepest corner of the ship. The wait had begun.

The occasional creaking sound or shuffling from Yunho and Mingi eventually died as time continued to tick by. It was just Seonghwa and his own mind until San regained control of himself or Wooyoung came and saved them.

He clenched his fists to stop them from shaking as the hold fell silent. Even the sound of San’s screaming had quieted and Seonghwa’s flesh began to crawl.

He could already be here, lurking... He could already be in the room, he could be right next to him and he wouldn’t know.

Seonghwa swallowed shakily and reached out his hand for Mingi’s. Only the scratching of his own nails meeting the floorboards followed. Mingi must have moved elsewhere.

The darkness deepened in his eyes and Seonghwa felt the cold chill of being alone. His lips parted to call for Mingi or Yunho, but he bit them shut to halt their trembling. _No noise under any circumstances._ A tear slipped out from underneath the blindfold, but he didn’t dare move to wipe it away.

Even the simplest motion would disturb the all-embracing silence they had plunged into.

Sweat beaded on his forehead and he considered how long he must have been curled up here. His joints were beginning to protest and the cold of the floor seeped into his bones. Only the ringing in his ears of blood pumping through his veins was any indication of time. How much longer would he have to lay here?

Seonghwa shuddered from the goosebumps rising on his flesh and winced at the sound it made. How were Mingi and Yunho so silent and still? He waited for one of them to shush him or give any indication that they were close by. A thought surfaced that they might have left him.

But it was their idea to hide down here, they had promised to protect him... They wouldn’t abandon him to the demon while they escaped somewhere else, right? No, this was Yunho and Mingi. Fearless Yunho and loyal Mingi.

Seonghwa buried the thought. They were here, too, somewhere. Just a lot better at being quiet than he was.

The ship suddenly creaked. He almost breathed a sigh of relief. Finally; a noise. Something other than the boards pressing against his side to convince him he wasn’t already dead and floating in the void somewhere.

But then the sound came again and Seonghwa began to wonder if it was really the ATEEZ being rocked by waves or the sound of footsteps approaching him. His stomach clenched.

If he whispered as quietly as he could, surely San wouldn’t find him?

“Mingi?”

It was barely louder than breathing. Seonghwa’s fist entered his mouth when he got no response.

Mingi was gone.

He was _gone._

He had left, Seonghwa was alone...

His fingers itched to pull the blindfold off, soaked through with tears as it was.

The creaking sounded a third time, and Seonghwa realised that it wasn’t the natural ambiance of the ship, but someone on the deck above him. He swallowed a whimper and dug his nails into his palms.

San was right above him. If he wasn’t still and silent as death, he would catch him. Seonghwa held his breath.

His heart was beating so loud, he was afraid San would hear it.

The footsteps stilled as if they were waiting for even the faintest sound to give away the location of the prey. For a demon, it was terrifyingly patient.

He began to walk again, and Seonghwa’s heart pounded in concert.

Step. Step. Step. Step.

His entire chest was filled with dread.

The footsteps were getting closer, and it wasn’t just his imagination, he could hear them...

Descending the ladder rungs and landing on the bottom deck.

He was in the room with him.

Every instinct screamed to run.

Seonghwa was helpless, curled up on the floor and begging not to be seen, prone at San’s mercy, just lying blind in the dark ready to be killed—

A hand clamped over his mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry... I wasn't actually going to end it here, because I originally had a whole monster sized chapter written and just split it into two. So that means it won't be as long until the next one at least :) But alternatively, I don't want to promise anything because I have exams next week. Please comment what you thought and what you want to know and as always cc (@tiny_tokki) is open!


	8. A Requiem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seonghwa swallowed and turned to look at the door. Poor San was still in there, fighting the demon from inside. All they needed was for him to regain enough control to stop this game of cat and mouse until they exorcised him. On second thought, that was quite a demanding list, but one thing at a time.

Seonghwa screamed into the hand uselessly, and arms stiff with cramps flew up to try to defend himself, scratching his attacker as deeply as he could. His eyes were squeezed together so tightly, it took him a moment to realise the blindfold was gone.

_Don’t take your blindfold off. Under any circumstances._

All he could do while his struggles weakened was clench his eyes tightly shut.

He was powerless.

“Seonghwa! Seonghwa, stop.”

A voice whispered back at him, and he found himself relaxing.

“...Hongjoong?”

No, it was his mind playing tricks.

“Yes, it’s me Seonghwa. It’s alright, you can open your eyes.”

Open his eyes? No, not under any circumstances, any circumstances at all...

But it was Hongjoong.

Unless it was a trick, unless it was San with a trick from Babylon—

“Prove it.”

“Not this again,” the voice muttered, the fleeting annoyance so familiar. “How about... you’ve been practicing a song. For when the officers ask you to help them sleep.”

Seonghwa carefully blinked his eyes open.

There was Hongjoong.

There were a few new scratches on his face, but it was still him.

Relief stronger than any Seonghwa had ever felt washed over him and he practically collapsed into him. Hongjoong held him there for a moment, graciously refraining from commenting on the soaked blindfold he was holding.

“How did you know that?” Seonghwa whispered. Not what he had expected to be asking first, but he let it out nonetheless.

“You think no one can hear you, but you forgot we share a room.” The chuckles escaping Hongjoong were contagious, and Seonghwa found himself laughing too.

He didn’t realise he was crying as well until Hongjoong pulled back and scanned his face with concern.

“I’ve got you now, it’s alright. San is being taken care of and-“

“M-Mingi and Yunho!” Seonghwa hated how scared he sounded, but he had been terrified. “Where are they?”

“Jongho and Yeosang found them just over there,” Hongjoong pointed but Seonghwa didn’t even look. He couldn’t look anywhere other than Hongjoong’s face, testing again and again that it was real. “They’re getting them to the crow’s nest. Sorry, we tried to be quiet but I suppose we’ve just scared you. Come with me, I’ll take you up there too—“

“But San-"

“-Is being taken care of, I told you. Wooyoung and Eden have him cornered by now.” Hongjoong began trying to help Seonghwa to his feet.

Stiff limbs protested, and Seonghwa blushed at the fact that he had to be helped up like a frightened child. But the fear he had felt, the terror engulfing his senses in what he thought were his last moments... it was almost too much to handle. And it lingered still, even as Hongjoong squeezed his hand and led him into the lamplight.

Hongjoong’s words finally caught up to him.

Wooyoung was alright.

“Eden...?”

“I guess you’ve missed a lot,” Hongjoong’s voice was soft and contemplative. “We’ll fill you in when this is taken care of.”

Gradually as they reached the upper decks, Seonghwa detached himself from Hongjoong. He’d experienced a moment of weakness, but he was fine without holding someone’s hand now.

Seonghwa suddenly remembered he was supposed to be upset with Hongjoong for leaving him.

“Is Babylon dead, at least?”

Hongjoong simply nodded, beginning his ascent of the rigging after a scan of the main deck. Clearly, he sensed the shift in the atmosphere, judging by how he didn’t look back to check if Seonghwa was following. He’d been scolded by him enough to know when the storm was about to break.

“You shouldn’t have left like that,” Seonghwa let it out quietly but insistently. “Especially bringing Yeosang and Jongho with you, you could’ve all been killed and—“

“We’re not doing this right now,” Hongjoong turned around and gave him a pointed look. “Chew me out for it later, but I did the right thing.”

“The reckless thing,” Seonghwa amended, grumbling mostly to himself. It had been awhile since he’d climbed as high as the crow’s nest, but his pride wouldn’t let him ask for Hongjoong’s help now.

Yunho peeked his head over the side of the crow’s nest and beckoned them in, visibility relieved that Seonghwa had made it out of there. He and Mingi spewed apologies that Seonghwa waved off, promising them he was fine and nothing happened.

It... It was true, technically.

“I didn’t see San in the lower levels or anywhere on the main deck,” Hongjoong explained once all six of them were crammed into the small space. “Where is he?”

“I’m fairly certain he backed himself into your cabin, Captain,” Yeosang explained from where he sat, clearly agitated, in the middle of the nest with his arms tight around him. It had slipped Seonghwa’s mind until now that Yeosang was afraid of heights.

Mingi trained his gun on the door far below them. “He won’t find us up here, but if he does... we’ll make sure he doesn’t reach us.”

Seonghwa swallowed and turned to look at the door. Poor San was still in there, fighting the demon from inside. All they needed was for him to regain enough control to stop this game of cat and mouse until they exorcised him. On second thought, that was quite a demanding list, but one thing at a time.

Seonghwa’s intent staring at the door to the Captain’s cabin was halted when something pressed into his side. He turned to see Hongjoong holding out his coat for him. “What? Why?”

Hongjoong blinked at him like it was obvious. “Hyung, you’re practically in shock,” Jongho explained slowly for him. “You’ve been hyperventilating for the past five minutes, and you’re shivering as if it was snowing out.”

Oh. No wonder everyone was looking at him like that.

Seonghwa looked at the still-present gooseflesh on his arms and reluctantly accepted the coat as it was slung over his shoulders, but not without a glare at Jongho for the wisecrack.

As loath as he was to accept anything from Hongjoong now that he was angry with him, he had to concede that it was helpful.

He felt his trembling slowing down and his breaths even out, and everything hit him at once. The adrenaline crashing and exhaustion taking hold of him. All that pent up energy he had channeled towards staying alive left his system in one fell swoop.

Soon, it was hard to keep his eyelids open and he barely lifted a finger when the others encouraged him to lay down next to Yeosang.

He watched Mingi’s gun like a lifeline, making sure he didn’t fire it until the last possible second. They would not throw San’s entire life away.

That was his last thought as he finally let sleep swallow him.

...

Wooyoung’s arm ached in its sling and his head was still pounding from the blows it had received, but at least the blood had been wiped off his face and he wasn’t facing San alone now.

He shifted his eyes to the pirate accompanying him as they walked up through the lower decks. Eden was recognisable from his wanted posters, but his face was softer and less angular than the artists portrayed. The more Wooyoung looked, the more he realised Eden was just a normal man.

His face revealed nothing, but there was a storm of emotions swimming in his eyes that made Wooyoung uncomfortable. He considered whether attempting conversation was a good idea or not. Eden evidently had no inclination to.

Wooyoung wondered if the pirate’s preference for silence was the reason the mainland never heard of his return from the dead.

And a good thing, too. Wooyoung remembered the hysteria over the dreaded pirate. If the Navy got their hands on him or his apprentice, it was surely straight to the gallows for them.

“Are all of you children?”

Wooyoung looked up at Eden as his thoughts dissipated. “Do you consider me a child?” He asked quietly instead of answering the question.

Eden scanned his face for a moment and nodded.

“Well, in that case... No, not all of us. All the officers and many of the crew are my age or younger. But there are older men to do the heavy lifting and various tasks.”

“Why?” Eden sighed, having difficulty grasping the concept. “Piracy is dangerous.”

“We’re here nonetheless,” Wooyoung responded firmly, ascending the last step and coming out on the main deck. “So we might as well be around people we can trust.”

Eden didn’t respond, but Wooyoung could see that he was still grappling with the idea of children running a ship.

Funny. One would think the infamous pirate Eden would approve of such an endeavour, especially one led by his apprentice.

A strangled scream from the captain’s cabin grabbed Wooyoung’s attention. He and Eden sprinted the few steps between the hatch and the cabin and peeked inside to see what was going on.

Wooyoung breathed a sigh of relief.

San was alone, grabbing his head and stumbling around, but at least he was alone. Seonghwa was nowhere to be seen.

“I’m assuming you know what to say to him?” Eden asked, turning to look at Wooyoung expectantly.

“No, not really,” Wooyoung admitted, reaching for the handle and wincing when it squeaked at being turned.

Eden stifled a groan behind him. This was suicide.

San didn’t even notice them enter, still lost in his own mind as he tugged at his hair and curled up on the floor. The room was a mess, parchment and writing supplies thrown around every which way, books strewn over the carpet, and furniture tipped onto its side. There was a shattered bottle of rum in the corner, and Wooyoung stepped cautiously over the glass shards as he approached San.

“San, are you in there?”

His head lifted shakily and he turned his eyes on Wooyoung. They were San’s eyes, the real San.

“Help...” he whispered, reaching up with a trembling hand before freezing mid-air.

Suddenly his face hardened again and his eyes glowed red. The reaching hand became a fist that swung upwards but missed its target as Eden yanked Wooyoung backwards and out of harm’s way.

“Stay back,” the pirate ordered, whipping out his gun and aiming it at the demon as he shakily stood and leered at them.

“Don’t shoot!” Wooyoung reached for the Eden’s arm and pressed it down, lowering the weapon.

“Right,” the demon laughed, San’s face twisting in a wolffish grin. “Don’t shoot, Eden.”

The pirate’s face clouded with anger and he stepped forward to block Wooyoung from any attack, but didn’t point his gun again.

San opened his mouth to say something else but halted again, eyes clearing into San’s once more as pain broke on his face.

“He’s fluctuating,” Wooyoung cried, shaking Eden’s arm until he removed it to let him run to San. “I don’t know how long we have between bouts...”

“Wooyoung, help,” San whimpered, sinking to the floor again in tears. “He’s too strong.”

“You have to fight him, San,” Wooyoung insisted, grabbing his hands before he tangled them in his mop of hair.

As San began to calm down, Wooyoung cocked his head in confusion. There was a streak of white in San’s hair that hadn’t been there before. “What’s this?”

“He-he’s merging with me,” San gasped, shaking his head in helplessness. “Combining the two of us, and it hurts Wooyoung, please... you have to help...”

“Y-You’re doing great, San,” Wooyoung stuttered, swivelling back around to send a panicked glance at Eden. Eden shook his head and lifted his hands in surrender. Neither of them had the slightest idea what to do.

“No!” San screamed and squeezed Wooyoung’s hands so hard he couldn’t feel them. “He’s taking over again!”

Eden started forward to protect Wooyoung again as San twitched and transformed once more into the demon’s vessel.

“Take me home!” It screeched, red eyes fiery and wild. His veins were black again but a war had broken out on his face. The two entities clashing inside were becoming one, their intentions mixing together. “Take me home immediately!”

“Why?” Wooyoung whispered, wrenching his hands out of the angry grip.

Why wasn’t the demon asking for Seonghwa again? What did he have to gain from going back to the mainland?

“Wooyoung, stay back,” Eden warned, aiming his weapon but leaving the safety on.

“I’ll kill San,” the demon growled, suddenly still and quiet. “If you don’t take me home, I’ll kill San.”

“Why do you want to go home?” Wooyoung was trembling but remained in position, kneeling next to the volatile entity in front of him. “It’s still far away, we can’t just—“

“My sister! I need to see her, she’s dying!”

The demon’s scream grated on Wooyoung’s ears and he flinched away. It was San’s sister, not the demon’s. The two must be fusing faster than they thought.

Eden couldn’t stand it any longer and placed a hand on Wooyoung’s arm to pull him up.

The moment he was distracted, San reached up and grabbed the gun, wrenching it out of Eden’s grasp.

Wooyoung stumbled to his feet and was immediately blocked by Eden. “Give that back,” the pirate warned. “You don’t know what you’re doing.”

“Take me home or I’ll shoot,” San gasped, standing and pressing the gun to his own temple. Wooyoung covered his mouth in shock and pushed past Eden so they were on either side of San. He was too scared to grab him in case he pulled the trigger, but he wouldn’t just hide behind Eden when he could try and do something instead.

“You don’t want to do that,” he enunciated slowly. “You’ll die too if you kill San—“

“I’ll say it one more time and if you don’t do it, I’ll kill him.” The gun was steady in the demon’s grip as he flicked the safety off.

“Alright, we’ll do it!” Wooyoung yelled in response, blinking back the gathering tears. He didn’t have time to think through every option and provide the demon with a rational response. He had to save San and he had to do it now. “We’ll take you home to see your sister. Just hand over the gun.”

The demon squinted at him in suspicion, the blood red in San’s eyes darkening for a moment before he began to lower the gun. “Promise!” He snapped.

“Yes,” Wooyoung blinked back tears and held out his hand to accept the gun. “I promise. You have my word.”

...

“I gave him my word. There’s nothing we can do about it.”

Wooyoung rested his case once San had been led back to his cell and he and Eden had climbed up to the crow’s nest to meet the others.

“But what about this book?” Jongho pressed, waving the little book as if to remind him. “There’s a spell in here somewhere that can help us, I just can’t read the language it’s in.”

“There is someone who can!” Mingi suddenly interjected. “Remember the mystic we spoke to? Her island isn’t far from here.”

Wooyoung didn’t remember this woman, and neither did Yeosang, but they had heard passing mentions of her. The ATEEZ had stopped at her island for guidance on finding Eden and healing Jongho before Yeosang and Wooyoung had joined the ranks.

Jongho’s eyes lit up at the idea and he turned to Hongjoong for permission. “What do you say, Captain? Do we have a heading?”

“Now, hang on,” Wooyoung interjected. “I just promised San we’d head back towards the mainland! Surely he’ll know if we alter course and visit some witch hut—“

“San lived on an island just off the mainland, didn’t he?”

Everyone turned to Eden in surprise as he posed the question.

Once the shock wore off that he was actually contributing something, Wooyoung shot back angrily, “Why are you talking about him like he’s already dead?”

“He lives here now, doesn’t he?” Eden scoffed at him. “I didn’t mean to imply that he’s dead, only that he doesn’t live there anymore.”

“Alright, everyone,” Yunho chuckled nervously. “Let’s calm down, shall we?”

Both parties took a noticeable deep breath and Eden turned away, allowing Hongjoong to step in.

“We don’t make deals with demons, Wooyoung. That’s just asking for more trouble.”

“We’re already in trouble as it is! Can’t you see, he can still kill San and take Seonghwa by force.” Seonghwa recoiled where he lay at the mention of his name but Wooyoung plowed through. “He’s practically handing us a way to distract him while we find this mystic, and you don’t want to take it?”

“Wooyoung, there are so many things that could go wrong—“

“No, I’m not buying this,” Wooyoung suddenly stood, ignoring all the eyes that traced his movement. “Not from you. What’s the real reason? Why aren’t you jumping on this opportunity?”

Hongjoong simply sighed and let his eyes fall shut.

“You don’t want to risk going to the mainland, do you?” Realisation swept him and Wooyoung took a step back from the force of it. “Not now that Babylon is dead and the Navy is surely suspicious as to why.”

Babylon dead, Eden alive, so many moving parts... Of course Hongjoong wouldn’t want to risk marching straight into enemy territory, where the reward on his head alone was enough money to last all of them the rest of their lives.

Hongjoong knew what he was getting at, and rushed to defend himself.

“Wooyoung, this isn’t out of self-preservation. I have a very bad feeling about this entire idea and listening to those bad feelings is what has kept me alive this long.”

“I don’t think there’s an alternative,” Wooyoung insisted, sitting back down. “We need to split up.”

“It could work,” Yeosang said after a moment of silence. His gaze remained fixed on his hands that were clasped in front of him and he continued, “Some of us breaking off in a longboat to find the mystic, and the ship continuing on towards San’s island.”

“I’d like to volunteer to find the mystic, Captain,” Jongho announced. No surprise there. 

“Me too,” Yunho added, smirking in Jongho’s direction. “We both know you’re not the best at tacking, Jongho.”

“I want to send Mingi with you as well,” Hongjoong murmured after thinking about it for a moment. “Listen to him in my stead. And Eden...”

Eden perked up in surprise at being addressed with orders again.

“Eden, I’m asking you to go with them. Look after them like your own.”

Eden pursed his lips, locked in a silent conversation with Hongjoong as their eyes found each other’s. “Alright,” he said softly and nodded. He would have volunteered to go with them anyway.

Wooyoung felt awkward for his outburst and cleared his throat uncomfortably. Yeosang reached for the netting with a shaking hand.

“Can we go back down now?”

...

Ten minutes later, Wooyoung and Yeosang found themselves seated in the Captain’s cabin for an impromptu meeting, watching Hongjoong clean up and trying to stay awake to hear what he had to say.

“I don’t want anyone speaking to San unless absolutely necessary,” he instructed first.

Wooyoung nodded in agreement. He had no desire to talk to San after what had happened earlier.

“And someone needs to be with Seonghwa at all times, preferably one of you if I can’t be here.”

Again, it made sense, seeing as Wooyoung and Yeosang would be the only other officers left on the ship once the others left for the mystic’s island.

“Is that really necessary?” Seonghwa groaned in protest from his bunk and all three of them turned in surprise. “I thought he was asleep,” Yeosang mumbled.

“Yes, it is,” Hongjoong insisted, sweeping the glass shards into a bin. “San’s already broken out once, I’m taking absolutely no chances this time.”

“As long as I don’t have to be blindfolded the entire time,” Seonghwa sighed and turned over, diving deeper under the blankets.

“San’s hometown is almost a fortnight’s sail if we don’t hit bad weather,” Yeosang informed them, spreading a map on the desk as soon as it was righted and returned to its position.

Wooyoung let him and Hongjoong inspect the charts and went to reshelve the scattered books, feeling guilty for just sitting there while work was being done.

“It’s been a long 24 hours,” Yeosang sighed as he and Hongjoong finished returning trinkets to their desk drawers.

When the room was back in order, they returned to their own beds and exhaled for the first time that day.

Yeosang was right. It had been a very long 24 hours.

Hongjoong was bone-wearied and ready to drop. Last night he hadn’t even slept properly due to the nightmares and conversation with Seonghwa after. Then the day had begun with landfall on the abandoned island, preparation for the ambush which lasted the entire day, battle at sunset, an infiltration and murder the first half of the night and demon possession and hide and seek in the dark the second half.

They were all collectively on their last leg. And also, quite hungry.

As he crawled into bed, part of Hongjoong still believed he would wake up and Eden would be gone, a spectre dreamed up in his sleep deprived state that disappeared with the dawn.

It made the most sense to let him use San’s hammock since he was occupying a cell for the night. Yunho didn’t mind the temporary new cabinmate, as long as he didn’t touch his rum stash.

“What exactly happened with you and Eden?” Seonghwa mumbled into the silence. Always with that uncanny ability to read Hongjoong’s mind.

“You’re supposed to be sleeping.”

“I don’t know if I can without having this question answered,” Seonghwa responded softly.

“You barely saw the two of us together,” Hongjoong pointed out, just loud enough that his roommate could hear him. “How do you know anything happened at all?”

“Just answer the question.” Seonghwa’s exasperation penetrated the darkness and Hongjoong rolled his eyes. Not that he could see him.

“It’s just that he’s not who I thought he was.”

Seonghwa hummed quietly in understanding. Hongjoong would tell him more when he was ready to. Again the room fell silent and Seonghwa had almost drifted off when Hongjoong whispered from the other side of the room.

“I promised that I’d never let us be separated again.”

Seonghwa wasn’t sure if the Captain was just talking to himself or not but he hummed again to indicate his presence.

“Now we’re stuck in hesitant treaties that have to hold for weeks... and, I’m sorry, I don’t want to keep you prisoner, but I’m not risking you.”

Seonghwa remembered the tangible darkness in the hold and the cold chill of being alone and shivered from the memory.

“Do you think they’ll be safe? On the mystic’s island?”

Hongjoong turned to face him. They couldn’t really see each other in the dark but his voice was slightly louder when he replied. “Eden will be with them. I can think of no safer alternative.”

Seonghwa accepted these words and let himself be enveloped in the sweet embrace of sleep until late morning, when Hongjoong woke him to eat something.

He expected to be confined to the cabin, ordered to remain on bedrest, and bored out of his mind for the week and a half it would take to get there, but to his surprise, Hongjoong led him out to the galley where Yunho was attempting to cook breakfast.

“It’s our last meal together...” he explained, spooning an egg onto Seonghwa’s plate. “...for awhile at least.”

The blatant honesty of Yunho’s remark halted Seonghwa’s fork midair. He hadn’t considered that fact. None of them had.

Mingi’s shoulders slowly dropped and he lowered the fruit platter back onto the table. Seonghwa had meant to scold him for heaping so much of it on at once but now the thought was far from him.

“The mystic isn’t far, right? We can be there and back in no time!”

Seonghwa cracked a fake smile at his optimism and focused on his food again.

All the eyes in the room were inevitably on the empty chair. Eden was plotting their course out on the quarterdeck so it was almost like a normal meal. Except for the absence of San.

Wooyoung struggled to keep his mind off what he and Eden had seen in the captain’s cabin last night.

A San who was at war with himself, as he and the demon coalesced into one. Their intentions becoming confused and tangled. Desires mixing like two different paints, creating a new and unrecognisable individual. Coloured with intense passion that radiated out and splattered in every direction. In one breath begging for his beloved sister, and threatening violence in the next.

Wooyoung’s sigh and downcast look must have been noticeable because Yeosang reached over and took his hand.

He knew Wooyoung wanted desperately to go with the others to find help for San, but they needed him here. To talk him down in case he broke out again.

As the meal finished up and Jongho volunteered to take care of the dishes so Seonghwa didn’t have to, Wooyoung slipped out to find Eden.

“I’m here to apologise,” he informed the man quietly as he ascended the steps to the quarterdeck. “I don’t want to start fights, it’s just that this whole situation with San has been very stressful, and I didn’t tell anyone when I knew he was struggling with dark magic so I feel, in part, responsible for it...”

Eden straightened and turned to Wooyoung as he rambled on. His face was unreadable but there was some twinkle of amusement in his eyes.

“...and I-I suppose I don’t need to tell you the details of everything,” Wooyoung continued haltingly. “But I shouldn’t have snapped at you, and I’m sorry.”

“Apology accepted,” Eden bowed his head in acknowledgment and went back to his work.

Wooyoung stood there, dumbfounded for a moment, before spluttering back, “That’s all?”

He had somehow expected more ferocity from this infamous pirate.

Eden nodded without looking up from the charts, and continued marking them with a steady hand. Wooyoung frowned.

“How did you know where San lived?” He found himself asking. It had been bothering him since Eden interjected with it. Not even Wooyoung knew much of anything about San’s home life before the ATEEZ.

“I grew up in the same cluster of islands as he did,” Eden explained, still intently focused on the positioning of his protractor. “I saw him once or twice when he was much younger. He wouldn’t remember me, most likely.”

San and Eden had met? More than that, come from nearly the same roots?

The image of a young Eden, an innocent boy like San had been, was puzzling to Wooyoung as he walked away. He’d have to grill Hongjoong on it later.

With the many morning preparations completed, the group set out in their modified longboat towards the mystic’s island. They would arrive within the next day, if Eden had plotted correctly, and planned to rendezvous with the ship at San’s island once their business was done.

Hongjoong took Mingi aside before they departed to hand him his knife. Immediately Mingi protested, but Hongjoong pressed it closer to him.

“You’ll need it, Mingi,” he assured him. “Probably more than me.”

With a shaky breath, the quartermaster accepted the weapon and got in the boat.

The four of them set out when the sun was nearing the horizon, and Jongho waved until they were out of sight of the ATEEZ.

Hongjoong’s heart was in his throat as he watched them go. There was no option left but to occupy themselves for the rest of their journey, so he returned to his cabin and went about collecting books for Seonghwa.

Seonghwa was grateful to have something to read and assuage the guilt of not helping out on deck. The others had to pick up the slack of the three who had gone to find the mystic and because Yeosang was afraid of heights and Seonghwa was still recovering, that left most of the rigging work to be split between Wooyoung and Hongjoong.

The crew men were excited to be returning to lands they recognised, even if it did come with the threat of increased Navy presence.

After the first week passed with no enemy encounters, Yeosang grew suspicious. It was difficult to sleep with all the potential reasons bouncing around his head so he went one night to deliver food to San, a job that usually fell to Hongjoong.

San didn’t look up from where he sat, still and silent, in the corner of his cell. He was shackled this time as an extra measure.

“Which are you?” Yeosang asked in a steady voice, quelling the shaking of his hands as he slotted the tray under the bars. “San or the demon?”

San simply scooted forward to accept the meal, chains dragging across the floor and grinding in Yeosang’s ears. “There is no difference,” San simply said. His voice was darker and rougher than it had been, perhaps from misuse.

“No, the two of you are separable,” Yeosang thought out loud. “He’s too strong for you to snuff out completely.”

San stared at him as he ate, making Yeosang exceedingly uncomfortable though he refused to show it on his face.

A year ago he would never have believed that demons exist and can possess humans once summoned with dark magic. The whole thing would have sounded ridiculous. Yet, here he was, disproven again while someone else looked at him through San’s eyes.

“Your eyes are red still,” he noticed, voicing his thoughts freely. “But your veins are no longer black. Why is that?”

San finally broke the eye contact, lowering his head while he finished the meal. He didn’t seem too keen on answering, and Yeosang saved a small smile for when he was outside the room again, confident that he had just hit a nerve.

Ever at the wheel was Hongjoong, now regarding Yeosang with the same unreadable expression he had seen on Eden in their short time.

“Did you speak with him?” Hongjoong asked, not accusing but careful.

“No,” Yeosang lied easily. “He doesn’t have much to say anyway.”

“Don’t let him get under your skin,” Hongjoong told him knowingly. “If you give him an inch he’ll take the whole lead and you with it.”

_Like Mr. Yuma when he was in a hurry_, Yeosang thought, fondly remembering his childhood horse.

“Don’t worry, I haven’t got a death wish, Captain,” Yeosang smirked, walking past him towards his cabin. “We’re not all invincible like you are.”

If Hongjoong sighed in exasperation, Yeosang didn’t hear it. He entered his room to find Wooyoung inspecting his weapons, polishing guns and sharpening knives as he pulled them out of a chest.

“Still awake, I see,” Yeosang commented, settling back into his hammock.

“I suppose none of us are getting any sleep around here,” Wooyoung mumbled back, rearranging some dynamite sticks.

“Seonghwa's been sleeping fine,” Yeosang chuckled. He had been keeping him company and doing what he could to entertain the cabin-bound boatswain. “Honestly, I think he could have returned to work yesterday.”

“Captain’s just being extra cautious, I guess,” Wooyoung sighed, shutting the lid of his chest and returning to his own hammock. His own arm had healed smoothly and he was back to work, so it wasn’t a stretch of the imagination that Seonghwa was well enough from his knife wound to return to his duties as well. But one step out of that cabin was a step closer to San, and that was a mistake that could not be risked.

Yeosang hummed in acknowledgement before thinking back to his encounter with San.

“I think San is winning.”

Wooyoung turned to look at him, but said nothing.

“This whole journey to see his sister... he’s buying us time.”

“You spoke to him?” Wooyoung asked quietly. Yeosang shrugged and didn’t meet his eyes. “Captain doesn’t need to know,” he finally said, looking for Wooyoung to agree with him.

Wooyoung nodded in compliance and wondered aloud, “How did he convince the demon to request we take him to his hometown?”

“The two are becoming one,” Yeosang theorised. “What you observed earlier seems to be correct. The distinction between their minds is blurring.”

“But there’s a fierce battle raging inside still, and I really think San has the upper hand,” he went on. “Otherwise the demon would have Seonghwa by now, and he’d be headed to the palace, not San’s island.”

Wooyoung considered all this in light of San’s behaviour earlier. Even suppressed, San maintained some shred of control over the demon. Enough to confuse him into complying with his wishes— a pointless trip to his hometown, but one that would the stall the demon long enough for the others to find a solution.

Yeosang was right.

“I just want him back,” Wooyoung admitted softly. “The real San.”

“I miss him too,” Yeosang whispered after a moment. “It’s not the same without him.”

It was this stifling air that pervaded the ship. The outright tension that bled through the rooms, like an electric charge clinging to each person so that the air hummed with agitation.

Too much was unspoken between men, and all of them had seen and heard too much to let it escape their minds. Wooyoung longed for things to be right again, for the atmosphere to dissipate and the officers to be able to relax again.

Even their last meal together had been saturated with anxiety, questions about the future, and unspoken words.

After a long battle in his mind, Wooyoung finally fell asleep.

The sunrise would bring landfall, and with it, more unknowns.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another long chapter!! It probably doesn’t feel like it because there wasn’t much action 😬 Thanks so much for reading and I’m sorry the POV switches were all over the place... Exams are done and spring break is next week so maybe you'll get a surprise gift from me (no promises tho!) Please let me know what your thoughts/predictions are in the comments or on my twt @tiny_tokki :) have a nice day~


	9. Ghosts and Shadows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He hoped with every fibre of his being that he had bought enough time. Because the demon was biding his own time, and as their beings became one, San saw more and more of the destructive plan revealed to him. Hell on Earth, if he couldn’t stop it. So he would stop it, even if it claimed his life.

Day and night were the same to San where he was chained in the dank mustiness of the brig. It was one long cold stretch of time, as indistinguishable as San and the demon had become.

Or so it seemed.

San knew why he was imprisoned here, and he didn’t resent Hongjoong for it. The demon’s plan was exposed to him, and he knew he was a danger to Seonghwa. It was worthwhile suffering in his eyes, as long as it gave the others a chance. 

The moments that the demon stole from him presented as gaps in his mind, empty shells where there should be time.

For now, the evil he harboured in his body was contained, judging by his own bloody wrists, chafed from pulling against his restraints. He didn’t remember injuring himself. He didn’t remember a lot of things.

The door clanged unexpectedly and then swung open to reveal Wooyoung. He approached with a bowl of food and slid it over to him, settling against the wall to watch him eat.

San was frozen to the floor, watching wide-eyed as Wooyoung’s face hardened. It was like he had put up some wall between them, enclosing himself in a tower that protected him from San.

He knew it was warranted, but to see that harshness directed at him... it dampened San’s own hope for a quick solution.

“Thank you,” he said quietly, drawing the food tray into his lap. 

Wooyoung’s eyes lit up on the other side of the bars.

“You’re yourself!”

Immediately, his posture changed and his entire body spoke to his relief. He took a seat across from San and scooted as close to the bars as he could.

_You are not yourself._

San paid the demon’s voice no mind and fully embraced the moment he was in. The demon could wrest control back at any second, and it was better to lay everything out now.

“Yes, but I don’t know for how long,” San smiled tiredly. The relief was infectious. He had missed this— being himself.

“Sorry if the food tastes bad,” Wooyoung chuckled. “Yeosang pawned breakfast duty off to me. Something about needing to entertain Seonghwa-hyung. That man has been entertained plenty, in my opinion.”

His withering humour was very welcome, even if it made San’s eyes sting with jealousy. “How is he?”

“Just fine,” Wooyoung’s laugh softened to a smile. “Ready to be allowed out of his room.”

_You and I both know what to do the moment that happens._

San ignored it and took Wooyoung’s hand through the bars. If he was squeezing too hard, Wooyoung’s face didn’t betray him.

“And everyone else?”

Wooyoung’s smile faltered. “All doing well.” There was something he wasn’t telling him.

_Smart boy. What he tells you, he tells me._

San grit his teeth. “I should tell you how to find my house,” he suggested, voice a couple registers higher than usual. “In case I’m... not me, by the time we get there.”

Wooyoung nodded enthusiastically. The plan was unspoken between them. No amount of poking around on the demon’s part would help him.

He spoke grandiosely, but he didn’t have as much power to back it up as he purported to.

San did his best to describe the location and Wooyoung committed it all to memory. The genuine investment on his face told San he was drinking in every second he had. 

“I’m not supposed to be talking to you,” Wooyoung admitted, taking the empty tray back into his hands. “Hongjoong’s orders.”

The demon’s scathing laughter went ignored again, until its pounding reverberations sent San’s head into his hands.

“Are you alright—“

“Fine. You should probably go.”

_Look at his concern for you._

San’s eyes were wrenched open against his will. They were shining red again, judging from how Wooyoung stepped back.

_He’s the first one I will kill._

The demon’s promise emboldened San to reach out his hand through the bars. He wanted to warn Wooyoung somehow, but his mouth was glued shut.

Wooyoung left quietly without another word or touch and San was once again alone with the evil inside him. 

_We must be close_, the demon whispered as he calmly relinquished his control over each limb at a time. He had no use for them now. San lay, exhausted, and tried to stop the tears from gathering.

_The two of us will be one by the time we arrive. And your soul will be completely lost._

“But you will be weakened,” San whispered back weakly, almost all the fire snuffed out of him. “And your plan will get nowhere.”

_I am patient_, the monster hissed back. _Eventually they will let their guard down. And when they do, their lives will be ended in the blink of an eye._

San could only shake his head and heave breaths in and out. He had sent them all to his hometown and lasted this long. The strip of white in his hair was growing.

He could hang in there a little bit longer. San would rather die than let his body be used for whatever violence the demon swore to enact on his crew— his family.

He hoped with every fibre of his being that he had bought enough time. Because the demon was biding his own time, and as their beings became one, San saw more and more of the destructive plan revealed to him. 

Hell on Earth, if he couldn’t stop it.

So he would stop it, even if it claimed his life.

...

The unspoken agreement was that the three of them acted like Eden wasn’t there. It wasn’t difficult, considering that he sat at the tiller and said nothing, for the officers to fall into their usual carefree rhythm of travel.

There just happened to be the most feared pirate in history in the boat with them.

“Why did you bring so much food?” Yunho laughed from where he was rifling through the stores for lunch. 

Mingi shrugged and checked the sail. It was a fickle thing and could easily be blown down if the weather turned sour.

“I figured we have bigger appetites than the others. Besides, we don’t want to have to be cooking on the island.”

“I second that,” Jongho snorted, not looking up from the little book he faithfully clung to. “Your cooking is... among the less appetising meals I’ve had in my life.”

Mingi punched him in the shoulder lightly and sat down next to him. “Anything legible in that magic book?” He asked, leaning over a little too far into Jongho’s space for his liking.

“I’m fairly certain this page has instructions for an exorcism,” he replied, sobering at the question. “See these symbols? I’ve seen this one before, it’s for the underworld.”

Mingi followed along as Jongho pointed out several illustrations. “But I can’t read any of the writing,” he sighed. “And I don’t think we could perform such a ritual ourselves, even if we wanted to.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Yunho told him softly as he passed him his lunch rations. “I know you think you need to be extra helpful now that you don’t have prophetic dreams anymore, but you’ve already done well.”

Jongho blushed at this and hid his face in his food.

They passed the afternoon lazing around, telling stories, and occasionally singing. Eden only spoke once, in the evening when the wind direction changed, to notify Yunho who promptly adjusted the sail.

He was like their silent sentinel, guarding them stoically while they journeyed on into the night. Mingi insisted he join the rotation and get some sleep instead of sitting up for all four watches, but it was hard to keep his own advice.

He lay awake worrying about the others on the ATEEZ. It was his job to be focusing on the mission he was currently leading, but everyone knew Namhae was the Navy’s backyard. It was almost impossible for them to make it there and back without trouble of some kind. And it was likely the prices on their heads had only gone up since they ran into the Navy last.

Admiral Kim was bloodlust personified. To have his greatest prizes walk right into his arms would delight him to no end. Mingi anticipated his punishments to be infinitely worse than the last time he got their hands on them.

Sleep caught up with him an hour or so into Eden’s watch, and when he was awoken for his own, land was on the skyline.

“There’s her island,” Yunho nodded in its direction. “Right on schedule.”

The winds had been merciful for the journey there. As the sun rose and all of them stirred to greet it, Mingi called them together to create the plan.

“We’re coming at the island from a different angle than last time,” he pointed out. “The mystic’s residence is on the other side, so we’ll have to cross the island to get there.”

“Well, what about sailing around and landing on the west beach?” Jongho threw in, nudging an oar in that direction. “Then we don’t have to walk as far.”

“And risk being torn to shreds on the rocks? Not worth it,” Mingi argued back. Jongho squinted at the distant island and finally made out the aforementioned boulders. 

“I agree with Mingi,” Eden spoke up from the back, prompting the other three to exchange puzzled looks with each other. At what point had he learned their names?

“There is a path through the woods that reaches her temple,” he went on. “A back door, if you will. I can guide us through it once we land.”

Mingi and Yunho traded glances before nodding in unison. Eden had been sent with them for a reason, and so they trusted him.

“The breakers are close,” Jongho informed them, bringing their attention back to the approaching island. “We should prepare to land.”

...

It fell to Yeosang to entertain Seonghwa for the few hours left before the anchor was lowered.

“I don’t know how edible it is,” he informed the older boy cheerfully as he handed him his breakfast. “Wooyoung made it.”

Seonghwa snorted and took the bowl. “At least it looks cooked... whatever it is.”

He dragged Hongjoong’s chair over to the window and opened it for some fresh air. Yeosang pulled up alongside him and ate his own food quietly.

“This is a waste of autumn, laying locked away in here,” Seonghwa sighed. They had passed most of the meal in a comfortable silence, but it seemed Seonghwa had a lot on his mind as he ran his fingers over the stained glass of the windowpane gently. 

“I know it feels like you’re doing nothing,” Yeosang rested his hand on Seonghwa’s knee and tried to meet his eyes. “But we’re almost there. You’ll be able to come out of hiding soon.”

“I hate feeling useless,” Seonghwa admitted, rubbing the scar on his neck before Yeosang snatched his hand and removed it. The stitches had been removed last week and Seonghwa had a new habit of unconsciously touching the little pink line. There was a beat of silence before Yeosang gathered the empty bowls.

“Well, why don’t you help me navigate then?” He suggested, standing and crossing over to Hongjoong’s maps. He picked up Eden’s compass and waved it at him.

Yeosang didn’t miss Seonghwa’s eyes lingering on the compass. “You know what he said the other day? He told me to get rid of that thing,” the older mumbled with a bewildered shake of the head.

“What? You mean Hongjoong?”

An exasperated sigh escaped Seonghwa without his notice and he nodded along.

“You two are arguing again,” Yeosang stated flatly, drawing himself up. “Why?

“It’s just...” Seonghwa took a deep breath before giving in and letting out his complaint. “He refuses to make up his mind. One minute he wants me to go to the mainland, the next he’s hinting that he wants me to stay. He chases after Eden for years, but now that he’s found him, he flinches at the mere mention of his name. You’ll have to forgive me for tiring of putting up with it when he’s so hot and cold all the time.”

Yeosang nodded graciously at the outburst and returned his gaze to the compass in his hands. “I probably shouldn’t tell you, but I know why he’s uncomfortable with Eden now,” he admitted softly.

Seonghwa’s head snapped up with a speed that told him yes, he very much should tell him why.

“There was something off about Eden from the moment I met him,” Yeosang began, checking over his shoulder at the door and sitting next to Seonghwa again. “Hongjoong was elated to have stumbled across him- the happiest I’ve ever seen Hongjoong- and yet Eden seemed only bittersweet. He carried this regretful air with him as if he had done something to hurt Hongjoong. Clearly, he didn’t believe he deserved to come back with us.”

Seonghwa’s brow furrowed at this, but from what he had seen of the man, it checked out. Quiet, withdrawn... maybe even guilty. But guilty of what?

_It’s just that he’s not who I thought he was._

“On the return journey, Jongho and I fell asleep. I awoke at some point during their conversation and listened in covertly. Eden was admitting that he gave up and fled to the East. He came back to finish Babylon, but at Hongjoong’s begging he admitted why he had truly run away. He admitted to being there, the night Hongjoong’s parents died. He admitted to being there and doing nothing.”

Seonghwa gasped at this revelation, but Yeosang went on. “Hongjoong’s upset because, well, it seems Eden only ever took him in as a way to absolve himself for allowing his parents to die. And he only trained and apprenticed him out of guilt.”

A silence stretched over them as Seonghwa considered what he knew from Hongjoong’s dreams. A pair of eyes spectating, watching him but doing nothing to help. Whatever the result, being told you were essentially lied to for years was as valid a reason as any to be conflicted about someone.

“Eden mentioned on the boat that he’s realised piracy is no life for us,” Yeosang hummed pensively. “He regrets allowing Hongjoong to become mixed up in all of it in the first place.”

“Do you think he’s still trying to make up for the past now?” Seonghwa asked, looking up again at Yeosang who nodded after a moment to think it over. “He’s obeying Hongjoong’s orders,” he answered. “Accompanying the others to perform the exorcism. He could have walked away again, but I think he’s realising exactly how much pain he caused.”

It was pain he had caused all of them. None of this would have happened if they hadn’t chased him East, as unwaveringly sure as their Captain that he was a treasure worth finding.

But then again, had they not set out on their voyage, they would never have met each other.

“I think Hongjoong has known all along, somewhere deep down,” Seonghwa sighed, taking the compass in hand. “He suppressed that part of the memory. He suppressed the truth so he wouldn’t be hurt by it.”

“I don’t blame him,” Yeosang chimed in. “At least it resulted in the formation of this crew. This is where we belong.”

Seonghwa smiled softly at him. Yeosang hid behind the cool exterior of the facts, but he knew what he was saying. This journey was no accident, whatever Eden might say, and Yeosang was glad to be on it with them. 

“That solves one mystery,” he concluded. “As for whether he wants me to stay or go—“

“Clearly he wants you to say,” Yeosang interjected. “But he considers your feelings and what’s best for you to be more important. So if you elect to go, he’ll support you.” He added more softly, “He wants you to make peace with your past. All of us do.”

Seonghwa blinked at him, amazed. When had Yeosang become so adept at handling emotions?

The sound of the door opening startled him out of it, and both looked up to see Hongjoong entering. His focused expression softened at the curious sight of the two, clearly in deep conversation.

“We’ve arrived,” he informed them simply before gathering some necessities to bring to shore with them. 

Yeosang nodded and rose to put his equipment away. Seonghwa stood as well but remained where he was, an air of authority washing over him. “I’m going with you,” he declared, unflinching.

Hongjoong paused where he was checking his gun and looked up at him. A tense silence filled the room, and Yeosang used the opportunity to head for the exit.

“Very well,” Hongjoong finally said, holstering the weapon and turning for the door. “I’ll leave Yujin care of the ship.” He left without further comment.

Seonghwa exhaled and turned back to the open window. He closed it with a sense of finality after breathing in the sea air one last time and went to his chest to arm himself.

It was time to re-enter the playing field.

...

It took all four of them to drag the boat up onto the sand, high enough that it wouldn’t be washed away but low enough that they could quickly disembark if need be. Without a pylon to secure it to, the process was a fair bit more work for them.

They packed the day’s essentials on their backs and set off after Eden.

An hour in, it became clear to Jongho that this island was a lot bigger than it looked to be from the shore.

“Can we stop to eat?” He finally asked when his feet were aching too much to stay silent.

“It’s safer not to,” Eden responded without even looking back. “There are wild animals in these woods. You won’t want to waste your ammunition on them.”

Mingi immediately shivered at the prospect of wild animals and he and Yunho launched into a hushed discussion, leaving Jongho once again bored with no one to talk to.

The dirt path stretched up the side of the hill, wooded on both sides and bathed in a thin vapour of fog that waned with the coming of mid-morning. By the time he reached the top of the hill, Jongho could no longer see the beach.

The forest thickened on the trip down into the valley, the array of bamboo stalks giving way to dense foliage. Each tree and bush practically crawling on the next one, desperate for a drop of sunlight to descend from the heavens, where the crowded canopy blocked out the life giving rays.

It was a magical place even just on the surface level, and Jongho felt a twitch of reverence bloom inside him at the way the light filtered in.

The hike stretched on for a couple hours more before Eden called for them to halt and replenish themselves.

They had reached a clearing-like area, a thinning of the forest that only stretched a few feet, but was enough for them to sit and eat for a few minutes.

Jongho forced himself to drink slowly, sure to save enough water for the next time he might need it. There was no telling how long supplies may need to last out here in the wild.

“Are we close?” Yunho asked, swallowing a bite of lunch. “We’re almost to the trough of the valley.”

Eden nodded even as his eyes darted around their surroundings, inspecting the path he had led them on. This was the only way in from the eastern shore, but it wasn’t used very frequently and could easily have been destroyed.

“Her temple is halfway up the other side,” he informed them, already packing up to set off again. “The markings on the trees are still there, so we shouldn’t have to— look out!“

Suddenly Eden was catapulting into Yunho, knocking him out of the way as a massive shape flew out of his blind spot and into their tiny clearing.

A jaguar.

It had been stalking them since they left the taller grasses and had waited until now to ambush, leaping for Yunho’s skull. A second later and he would have been dead.

Yunho shook too much to stand on his own, but Mingi dragged him along as he and Jongho took off down the hill.

There were no words to share between them. That was a coastal jaguar attack. They needed to run.

A scream pierced the air behind them and the three came to a halt, whipping around to see who had been caught.

It was Eden, with his leg trapped in the jaws of the beast, and a deadly canine piercing into his flesh.

...

The streets were much busier than Seonghwa expected for a small island town.

As the five of them walked, coats wrapped tightly around them and heads bowed to conceal their identities as much as possible, the crowds thickened so that even Seonghwa couldn’t see above the tops of heads. Someone up ahead was shouting.

“Make way! Make way for the crown prince!”

Seonghwa’s stomach dropped. He froze to his spot while the others debated where they were to head first and the name echoed all around him in the whisperings of the crowd.

“Crown Prince Junhee!”

From the gossip that spread down the sidewalk like wildfire, he had come with his entourage to meet his betrothed, who apparently lived on Namhae. What an unbelievable coincidence this was.

“My brother, the crown prince, is here,” Seonghwa mumbled. Only Yeosang was close enough to hear it. “That’s why Hongjoong let me come.”

“Peace with your past,” Yeosang repeated quietly. “He must have seen the ship in the harbour.” Seonghwa shook his head in amazement. The opportunity was literally right in front of him. 

But if he failed to prove his true identity, if his brother didn’t care, if the others were caught— if any of the many things that could go wrong did, would that opportunity be worth it?

What was he supposed to do?

“Make way!”

Seonghwa obediently stepped to the side, but not before he caught a glimpse of the man through his palanquin.

He recognised that face.

Yeosang had to take his hand and lead him down the back streets after the Captain, Seonghwa had delved so deep into his memories.

“That man,” he realised, stopping and spinning Yeosang around to face him. “He was the Navy officer I tricked— years ago when it was just the three of us. He was disguised as a Navy officer and I was disguised as a sea merchant... you’ll have to trust me,” he explained when Yeosang couldn’t see through the thick fabric protecting the prince from the rest of the world.

It registered with Seonghwa what this would mean for him. “He knows me as a merchant. He’ll never believe that I’m his brother.”

Yeosang’s eyes shone as he looked between Seonghwa and the passing prince. The ghosts of the past were returning in full force, and it was frustratingly difficult to see the path ahead.

“There’s an inn this way,” Wooyoung broke in softly, pointing down the street. “We should get indoors before we’re recognised.”

...

Without a second thought, Mingi turned and sprinted back.

Yunho and Jongho’s terrified yells telling him to wait were ignored. Eden had saved them, they couldn’t just leave him for dead.

The older pirate was barely conscious from the pain, but at the sudden intrusion of someone else the jaguar released its prey momentarily and let out a low growl.

Blood gushed from the wound and made Mingi’s stomach turn but he averted his gaze, meeting eyes with the beast.

It was a beautiful creature. A fully grown male, the apex predator of the island no doubt. But it had attacked one of Mingi’s men, and that meant he had no choice but to kill it. 

He swallowed his fear and drew Hongjoong’s knife. Eden’s head hit the ground. He had passed out, and getting him away was the first priority. So Mingi waited until Yunho and Jongho caught up with him and told them to grab Eden on the count of three in a quiet, low voice.

He inched closer to the beast, who lowered its head threateningly. A cornered jaguar was more dangerous than a hungry one. 

“One...”

Mingi clenched the knife in his grip. One wrong move and the jaguar could kill him instantaneously. Skull crushing strength biting down into his skin.

“Two...”

All he needed was to get close enough, to stab the beast and get away with his life. He remembered Hongjoong’s stories, jaguars are hunters not chasers.

“Three!”

Mingi lunged in unison with Yunho and Jongho. From his peripherals, he saw them scoop up Eden and head down the hill with him. He allowed himself a smile of relief that withered as soon as his stab missed its target.

The great cat roared deep in its throat and spun to fully face him. Mingi stumbled back and raised the knife high again. 

The jaguar was too quick to take out in one blow. He needed to misdirect it. A sheen of sweat appeared on his face. This was going to be more difficult than he thought.

“Come on, come on,” he whispered. “We can’t circle forever.”

The fleeing sounds of the other three had faded. Mingi wasn’t sure if they had stopped or simply run out of earshot. In a moment of weakness, he prayed that he wouldn’t have to die alone.

Feigning a lunge to the left, he drew the jaguar in. Just as it reached its massive paws for his throat, he twisted it out of the way and stabbed into its back.

The yelp it screeched was painful to hear, and took Mingi by surprise, throwing him off and loosening the knife in his grasp. Reluctantly, he released it and the jaguar went careening into the underbrush, escaping to take its own chances at survival. 

Mingi collapsed in the dirt. He refused to feel guilty for losing Hongjoong’s knife, not when all their lives had been spared in return. Jongho’s head popped into his vision. His smile rivalled the sun.

“I can’t believe you just did that, hyung.”

Mingi smiled and took his hand as he helped him up. “Just another day,” he laughed before remembering. “How is Eden?”

Yunho returned to the clearing, the older pirate unconscious in his arms. “Not good,” he answered quietly.

Mingi helped lower Eden while Jongho rifled through the bags for medical supplies. He spared one last look in the direction the jaguar had fled.

That knife had been necessary after all.

...

“One room please.”

Wooyoung slid a wad of cash across the counter. The others had all remained huddled near the door, and it was his job to act as the voice of the group.

Hongjoong was branded with a massive price on his head, Seonghwa was still out of sorts, Yeosang was wary of risking being recognised for his status, and San was demon possessed. So the duty fell to Wooyoung.

“That’s a lot of you to fit into one room,” the woman smirked, collecting the money and handing over the key.

“We’ll make it work,” Wooyoung returned sarcastically. Honestly, he would prefer camping out somewhere to lingering in public like this. The town was crawling with Navy officers, especially now with a royal presence. But hiding in plain sight was far less suspicious than hiding on private property, so they took their chances.

The motley crew made it to their room, locking the door and drawing the curtains closed to conference with each other.

Wooyoung was just about to open his mouth to ask for the next course of action when San caught his eye.

He had been silent and complacent the entire trip up the docks, but now he twitched with a dark energy that warned the demon was almost completely merged with him. 

“Wooyoung, did he tell you where to find his old house?” Hongjoong asked in a low breath, eyes fastened to San’s twitches which grew into convulsions again. He didn’t expect Wooyoung to have followed the no talking to San orders.

Seonghwa itched to go help San before he hurt himself, but he knew that was what the demon wanted and remained stuck to the bed where he sat.

“Yes,” Wooyoung murmured back. “I should be able to find it.”

“Take Yeosang with you and be careful,” Hongjoong instructed, moving to the pile of sheets in the corner. “I’ll stay here with them.”

He tore two shreds off the extra sheet and went about tying one to San’s wrists, approaching Seonghwa with the other.

“No, not the blindfold again, please...”

He protested weakly but Hongjoong shook his head apologetically and blindfolded him regardless. “No chances,” he repeated firmly.

“Will you be alright?” Yeosang asked anxiously from the door. He didn’t want to come back to a possessed Seonghwa after all they had just been through.

He knew in the back of his mind that this was the best option. Hongjoong and Seonghwa certainly could not leave the building, but if he and Wooyoung were careful, they could investigate effectively.

“I’ll stay with him,” Hongjoong promised, taking Seonghwa’s hand and showing it to Yeosang before he and Wooyoung acquiesced.

It was dark again and he had nothing else to cling to.

...

It had taken hours to stabilise Eden enough that they didn’t have to hold their breath for him to die on them at any point.

Again, Yunho bemoaned San’s absence as a doctor. He knew how to stop the bleeding but he didn’t have the faintest idea how to help Eden recover from this. Or if he even could recover from this.

Jongho had collected all their packs and suggested they move into the trough of the valley. At least if they were on the move, they were getting closer to the mystic’s temple. She would know what to do.

Mingi agreed and led the way. The path was clear enough for now, but he couldn’t help but worry that it would split and he wouldn’t know which way to take. Eden was still out like a light in Yunho’s arms.

Yunho shifted the weight of the older pirate, trying not to jostle his bandaged leg. Eden wasn’t exceedingly tall or heavy, but hours carrying him were starting to weigh on Yunho’s back.

Just when he was about to suggest a quick stop for breath, a snapping sound came from all sides and he was lifted off his feet. The sky came closer and then suddenly his flying stopped. He squeezed his eyes open.

They were caught in a net.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

It was Jongho, voice muffled from underneath the four bags he was carrying. Eden was still on top of him, so Yunho shifted him to the side and peeked out.

Mingi was already trying to stand and failing miserably. “My foot is stuck in the netting,” he grit out in exasperation, grabbing his leg with both hands and pulling.

“Who would put a trap here in the middle of a path?” Yunho whined, turning to look at how far away the ground was through the netting.

“Eden said it wasn’t used very often,” Jongho pointed out, wriggling out from under the bags. “Whoever it was clearly meant to trap jaguars, not people.”

“Yunho, that’s your elbow in my ribs,” Mingi grunted in annoyance. “Can you move?”

“No, not really!” Yunho shot back. “Eden’s still on top of me over here!”

“Mingi, what happened to Hongjoong’s knife?” Jongho suddenly said, stilling in his struggles to sit up straight. “Why don’t you cut the net?”

“The jaguar ran away with it,” Mingi moaned, throwing his head back at the injustice. “I knew I should’ve pulled it back out.”

“So now what?” Yunho sighed. “We wait here like this until whoever trapped us comes back?”

“Eden is dying, we can’t wait that long,” Jongho insisted, throwing his weight back and forth and trying to swing the net and get some momentum.

“No, no, no,” Mingi yelled as the net hurtled toward the tree next to him. “Don’t—“ 

They slammed into the tree, Mingi’s back making the most contact with it. The wind was knocked out of him but at least his foot was free.

“Let’s just wait,” Yunho concluded after they came to a stop again. Jongho sighed and pulled some food out of the nearest bag, passing it around.

Minutes turned into hours, and soon the sun had set and fireflies had come out.

They danced around the net tantalisingly, their golden glow lighting the dark canopy they were trapped in. 

There was no need to keep watches, so they let each other sleep. Yunho checked Eden’s wound again, but it was too dark to see if the leg was infected or not.

Yunho prayed to whoever was listening that it wasn’t.

He tried to ignore the cramped pains in his limbs and closed his eyes.

Sleep was fickle.

...

The door flying open grabbed Hongjoong’s attention. 

He hadn’t let his eyes stray from San’s seething form, crouched in the corner and glowering at him for standing between him and his prey.

For a brief moment of panic, Hongjoong feared it was the Navy. They’d found him at last, they were going to take him away—

Wooyoung and Yeosang entered, breathless.

“We’ve found it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm things are coming to a head here... Hope you'll stick around for the conclusion of this bit! Fun fact, I learned some cool stuff about jaguars while writing this :) Don't forget to comment and I'm always available on twt!


	10. Crossroads Pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “It’s me,” Seonghwa whispered, surprised at how the words choked him. He hadn’t practiced but then again, this wasn’t the kind of conversation you could practice for. “It’s your little brother.”

The morning sunshine that filtered through the trees was much softer than the light that blazed through the porthole of Yunho’s room back on the ATEEZ.

Still, he found himself wishing he was waking up in his own comfortable hammock instead of this massive net that dug into his sides and made his neck prick with aches and pains.

As Yunho carefully shifted to stretch his leg, a soft groan from next to him reminded him to check Eden’s wound.

“Is he awake?” Jongho’s whisper from across the net startled him but he shook his head in response.

“I don’t think so. His pulse is so weak.”

It made Yunho bite his lip with worry. Blood had soaked the netting underneath Eden and dripped onto the ground far below. He wondered if it would attract more predators.

“There’s... nothing we can do...” Jongho hiccuped, tears freely rolling down his cheeks.

His gaze was locked on Eden’s face, pale as a sheet with a layer of sweat covering it. The older pirate was unmoving and barely breathed.

So much blood had been lost, it was a fool’s hope to think that he might survive, even if help arrived this instant.

“Eden? Eden, please, just stay with us a little longer,” Yunho shook him gently, paling at how lifeless he was. The bandages had soaked through with blood, even as he rushed to clamp his hand down on the wound.

There was no telling how long he had left.

“I’m sorry, so sorry...” 

Eden’s tired mumbles went on until his eyes twitched open, a faraway look deep within them. “I’m sorry for hiding the truth...”

“What’s he talking about?” Jongho wondered aloud, freeing his limbs from their positions and trying to move closer.

Yunho could only shake his head helplessly. “No idea.”

“It’s alright, Eden,” he directed his words at the fading pirate. “W-We forgive you.”

Jongho was shaking Mingi awake and scrubbing at his face. He wasn’t sure why exactly he was crying so hard. He barely knew Eden, it wasn’t as if he was a particularly sentimental type. 

Mingi stirred from his sleep and quickly pieced together what was happening.

“How do we explain this to Hongjoong?” He said quietly after a few moments had gone by and Eden had fallen unconscious again.

Yunho swallowed his fear and met his gaze, eyes shining with worry nonetheless. 

“Oh, not you lot again.”

An annoyed voice from far below broke their melancholy spell. It was the woman they had come here in search of, crossing her arms and glowering up at them. She looked exactly the same as she always did, beautiful and ageless, with a glint of amusement in her eyes. “What are you doing up there?”

Jongho spluttered and craned his neck to catch a glimpse of the witch. “Well,_ excuse me_, but—“

“Thank the heavens,” Yunho cut him off, gripping the net with one hand and clutching Eden with his other. “We really need your help.”

...

Wooyoung bit back the instinct to complain as he hoisted San’s unconscious form onto his back for the trek to the old seaside carpentry shop.

He and Yeosang had confirmed that the old couple’s house was above it, just as San said it would be, and the least dangerous way to get San there was to knock him out and carry him with them.

So Wooyoung kept his grunts to a minimum and led the way up the dirt path.

He and Yeosang were again elected to be the spokesmen for the little group, and with a deep breath, Yeosang drew up to his full height and knocked to the door

Whatever this was, it had better work.

“Just a moment! I’ll be right there.”

The voice of a young woman floated down from the second story and Wooyoung’s shoulders relaxed. This must be his sister.

The door squeaked open to reveal a bright-eyed lady probably around their age, who immediately took on an expression of horror at the sight of a sleeping San draped across Wooyoung’s back.

“Oh my, is he alright? Can I help at all? Would you like to bring him inside?”

Her rush of concern had Wooyoung wishing he had a quicker tongue or at least a backup plan and then throwing a questioning glance back at Hongjoong.

Hongjoong tilted his head.

It was almost imperceptible, but to Wooyoung, it was a clear order.

Don’t bring him inside. There’s too much at risk.

Wooyoung cleared his throat and smiled at her before taking a slight step back.

“Actually, I’ll stay out here with him. The, uh, the sea air will... benefit his health.”

It was a poor excuse and Wooyoung had to strain to keep the cringe off his face but the woman nodded seriously and opened the door wider for the others.

Yeosang smoothly took over the talking. “You must be surprised to have a group of strangers turn up like this on your doorstep! We don’t mean to intrude, but San has always talked about going back to see his sister and—“

“Sister?”

Yeosang faltered at the pure cluelessness in her voice. Had they come to the wrong house?

“You’re San’s sister, aren’t you?” Seonghwa asked quietly.

For a moment, recognition washed over her face and then she smiled, leading them upstairs to a living room area and motioning for them to sit while she explained.

“Oh! No, no I’m not. I’m the new owner of this shop, I’ve been planning to turn it into a bookstore actually. But I was warned by the old couple who lived here prior that a certain Choi San might drop by one day. None of you would happen to be him, would you?”

Yeosang’s mouth opened and closed until Seonghwa swooped in again to save him. “Pardon me, but, was there a young woman with this old couple? Did she move off the island too?”

The lady took a seat and a thoughtful frown formed on her face, brows pinched together as she tried to remember.

“No, actually... there was a young lady but...” Here she looked up at them and shook her head. “That lady died. Her death was the reason they sold this place.”

Yeosang felt a chill wash over him.

San’s sister was dead then.

He exchanged a warning glance with Seonghwa and Hongjoong both before politely smiling and getting to his feet.

The young woman started after them, stuttering something about offering them tea, but Yeosang gracefully cut her off.

“My apologies, we really don’t want to bother you,” he turned on his most charming smile and bowed as the others exited behind him. “The person we were looking for seems to be gone.”

“I’m sorry,” the woman said, sincerity shining in her eyes as she bowed back and showed them to the door. “Feel free to come back if you need anything at all.”

The moment the door was shut, Yeosang couldn’t hold back his sigh.

Wooyoung had been waiting, and quickly stood, pulling up a semi-conscious San who had been laying on the grass next to him. “Finished already?” 

Seonghwa cleared his throat and answered him even as his eyes lingered on San.

“We have some bad news.”

...

The temple looked exactly as Mingi remembered it.

Reddish-orange wood beams masterfully assembled into a high pagoda, a bright beacon that stood out in contrast to the surrounding foliage, and the majestic waterfall that stole their glances to the cliffside. It was as breathtaking as it was when they had been there last, a group of six.

Nothing about this place had changed, but Mingi felt as if he were different.

“How have you been?” He asked awkwardly, clearing his throat when the woman didn’t seem to hear him.

“Well, as good as can be expected. One of my cats was killed last night.”

Jongho blinked as he realised what the mystic was hinting at.

“So the jaguars are yours?”

She turned around and smiled at him. “They protect the island, yes.”

“You have magical powers,” Mingi scoffed, mostly to himself. “What do you need guardian beasts for?”

The woman’s smile fell and she ascended the steps gracefully, ushering them in. “My eyes are often elsewhere,” she said simply.

She gestured to a sofa in the main room and went about gathering things from the adjacent pantries while Yunho laid Eden down as gently as he could, trying not to jostle his leg. He listened for the shallow breaths he had come to recognise and exhaled with relief when they came on schedule.

“I’ve been following the proceedings of the royal family from my watchtower,” the woman mentioned. “I didn’t know of your arrival here, so I apologise for the hasty actions of my cats. Although, to be fair, it’s been a long time since anyone has taken the eastern path.” Here, she stuck her head back out to smirk at Mingi.

“Why are you here, boys?” She finally asked, returning to them with all her medical herbs and supplies.

Mingi and Yunho glanced at each other, thinking the same thing.  _Where do we even start?_

“You remember San?”

The mystic hummed in agreement, even as she whispered some chant and rubbed an unfamiliar substance into Eden’s wound. He didn’t stir from his slumber.

“Well,” Jongho took over the explaining. “He’s possessed and we need your help banishing the demon.” He went to hand her his little book of incantations but it was waved away while she continued to sprinkle a mysterious powder over the wound.

“He showed no interest in dark magic when I saw him last, as a new officer on your ship,” she responded, still somewhat distracted with Eden. “What happened?”

Jongho sighed and turned the small book over in his hands. “He got mixed up with Babylon’s spellbook and summoned the demon accidentally.”

“I’m surprised you don’t already know about this,” Yunho mumbled. “What with your crystal ball and your prophecies and your watchtower and everything...”

“Demons are exceptional at disguise,” she tossed back over her shoulder as she stirred various wild plants and substances into a jar. “I knew Babylon was stirring up trouble, I didn’t know about this particular development.”

“There’s a chant in here,” Jongho explained, bringing forth the book again. “None of us can read it so we thought to ask you...”

“Why didn’t you simply bring him here?” She interjected.

Mingi sighed. That would have been the preferred alternative, but this was their best chance, he had to keep reminding himself.

“The demon was threatening to kill him,” he said softly. “San bought us some time by setting out for Namhae. They’ll arrive in about a week and a half.

The mystic halted her stirring and sighed, mumbling something to herself. “I’ll search for him later,” she decided, transferring the contents of the jar into a mug and motioning for Yunho to prop Eden up. “Make sure he drinks all of this. He’s been on death’s doorstep for a few hours now. It’s a miracle death hasn’t come to collect him yet.”

Yunho nodded and watched her bandage the leg wound with clean cloth. “There are rooms for you to rest in through there,” the woman pointed out past a balcony to an upper wing of the temple. “Rest while I gather my resources. What you ask of me is no simple magic trick.”

All three of them nodded and graciously thanked her before following her directions, Yunho keeping an eye on Eden should he regain enough consciousness to drink his medicine.

There was a balcony with a view to the waterfall, and its misty spray was sweetly scented in a way that reminded them of their island in the east. An unclaimed utopia they could lose themselves in.

Jongho sunk into one of the plush beds that waited for them, his long, uncomfortable night in the net catching up with him. Still, something was on his mind.

“Why does it feel like we’re sacrificing San for Eden?”

Mingi looked up from where he was emptying his bag. He had found it hard to ignore the same thought, but sighed and resumed unpacking. “We’re still days ahead of the ATEEZ, don’t worry.”

“And besides,” Yunho smiled over at him. “We can trust the mystic. She’ll do what she can for both of them.”

The trio quickly learned that time worked differently on the island. A few hours’ nap lasted until sunset, and Mingi was startled to have slept the entire day away in what felt like no time at all, but the woman reassured them when she entered with plates of food that it was normal to have to adjust to the fleeting notion of time. 

Still, it made him anxious to know what had been discovered about San while he was out like a light.

“It was easy to find San due to the concentration of mystical energy around him,” she reported, settling in a chair and watching Eden intently. He still hadn’t woken. “But I can’t cast a spell on him if he’s not in one place.”

Yunho froze in the middle of chewing his bite of fish. “You... what?”

“He’s currently in motion,” she tried to explain, sighing at the difficulty of it. “Sending a spell to someone while he sails... it could go terribly wrong. It has in the past.”

“So this was pointless then?” Jongho moaned, the bread fisted in his hand looking decidedly less appetising.

“No, there is still something I can do,” the woman smiled at him and tilted her head towards her watchtower. “I’ll call up the incantations now, remotely, and when the time is right they will come into effect.”

Yunho scoffed at this. “When the time is right?”

“Yunho, is it? Clearly you know nothing of the rules of sorcery. Rarely are solutions so simple,” she shook her head with amusement. “I need the cooperation of whatever part of San is left. This spell locks onto human emotion, and if San regains enough control over his emotions to activate it, the demon will be banished from him.”

Silence stretched over them. Somewhere deep down, they all knew it would come back to San.

He had summoned the demon, and it was his responsibility to drive it out.

But Yunho would not let this trip be in vain. “San’s emotional enough, that’s for sure,” Yunho smirked, trying to raise their spirits with a pinch of optimism. “He’ll present the right opportunity soon.”

But this meant they had to wait. And waiting was not something they were good at.

It was a week and a half of flipping through books that didn’t make much sense to them, watching Eden sleep and waiting for him to wake (the mystic said he had to be convinced), exploring the immediate area of the island but pointedly avoiding the “cats”, and sleeping off as much time as possible.

Time was swinging over their heads as anxiety pounded into them.

Every day, the mystic checked San’s position, and every day the answer was the same; at sea. No development. It was a blessing and a curse.

Until one morning, when the mystic shook them awake and summoned them to her watchtower. The crystal ball pulsed on the table in front of her.

“I’ve found him. He was sleeping soundly for awhile but has just awoken. Now his soul is... it’s in agony.”

Mingi spluttered at the choice of words. “What? Agony?”

“He is experiencing extreme sadness, the strength of which is temporarily overpowering the evil entity in his body,” the woman returned like it was obvious.

“You can overpower a demon with negative emotions, too?” Jongho whispered, fascinated, before quieting again so the woman could continue.

“If both of us try hard enough,” the mystic promised, eyes glazing over as she prepared to begin. “Yes.”

...

San didn’t know what to expect, but it was not this.

Wooyoung’s face appeared, separating the fog in his mind, and his lips were moving. The sound reached San but he blocked out the rest of it because he did not want to know what followed those heartbreaking words.

More heads popped up, Yeosang’s concerned eyes and Seonghwa’s pained expression, but San couldn’t focus over the ringing in his head.

Someone was screaming and it sounded like the voice of the demon, but when he paused he noticed his voice was raw.

It flashed white hot and then burned him, a molten pain that ripped his insides apart. He was separating the demon from himself.

A new voice came to him, whispering in his head, and he was tempted to throw it out too but he hadn’t heard this one before and it was a friendly, encouraging presence.

_I’m with you_, she said. _Keep fighting, you’re almost there._

When he opened his eyes again, Hongjoong was in front of him, pulling him off the main road and into a cluster of trees. His eyes darted around, afraid someone would hear screams and be curious.

“It’s... I’m almost...” San choked on his words, inhaling sharply at another pain in his head. “He’s almost gone.”

He didn’t see their reaction to this declaration, eyes rolling back in his head as the fight in his mind intensified.

The demon was being snuffed out, his resistance weakening and his assets spread thin. 

His trembling voice promised everything San could ever ask for if he only let him live, let him stay. Simultaneously, San could feel him trying to jump out and into someone else even as his presence was ground to dust.

San clung on to whoever’s hand was in his and remained firm. The blackness drained from his veins as he hammered down again and again on the demon. He wasn’t banishing it, he was destroying it.

Aided by a sudden surge of energy, the help of an outside spell being granted to him, he swung his blade down on it one last time, the agony of its dying scream escaping through his own mouth and the pain rendering him unconscious.

Yeosang rubbed his arm until he awoke.

Tears were on his face, and they flowed freely as he grasped each of them in a hug. Save for his own sobs and the gentle ambiance of the seaside, things were quiet. San had never been so grateful for the quiet in all his life.

“I’m so glad you’re back,” Seonghwa whispered into his ear as he held him tightly, blindfold cast into the wind without a care.

San could only nod against him and cry harder. He had missed everyone, more than he could bear.

“Drinks are on me,” Hongjoong said with a bright smile as he pulled away. The road back to the inn was quiet but bursting with joy. San was among them again— mind, body and soul. The serene contentment that had settled over them would not be disturbed. Not for now, at least.

It was one thing at a time when they pulled up their chairs around the table they had claimed in the corner of the pub. San was famished, probably thanks to the demon stealing any of his enjoyment out of the food he had consumed while possessed. 

When he slowed down enough to look around at the faces of the people around him, it gave him pause.

“Everything alright?” Wooyoung prompted carefully. He kept looking at him like he was afraid he might get struck by lightning suddenly. That probably wasn’t going away any time soon.

“Yes, I was just remembering,” San responded after a moment. “Drinking together after your promotion. We were wasted but you told us your story, and I told you mine.” It seemed like ages ago now.

His face fell as he let the loss of his noona wash over him again.

“Haneul... she’s really gone, isn’t she?”

Yeosang met his eyes and hummed in response. “I’m so sorry for your loss. The woman living there says your grandparents moved away. Maybe we can track them down somehow at least...”

San’s eyes misted over and he gazed forlornly into his cup. “I think I’ve known for a while, deep down. She was marked for death ever since I was a child, but... but why couldn’t she have waited for me? I got the money for her medicine now, maybe she would have survived.”

Seonghwa rubbed his back tenderly as soon as tears began to roll down his cheeks again. “It wasn’t your fault,” he soothed him. “You did everything you could, San.”

Everyone at the table agreed.

When San crawled into bed and Yeosang and Wooyoung both crawled in with him, he finally let the floodgates of his emotions open.

A small smile remained on his face as he drifted off. It was a messy outpour of feelings, but he hadn’t felt anything in so long, he would allow himself this night. 

...

It was nearing midnight, but Yunho felt compelled to open his eyes.

It wasn’t because of San. The mystic had assured the trio that he had won his battle and vanquished the demon, so that couldn’t be it.

“It’s Eden,” her voice floated to him from the other side of the room as he rose and groped for a robe to cover himself with. She was so calming somehow that she hadn’t startled him by answering his silent question, but she beckoned him over just as urgently as she’d awoken him. “He’s awake.”

“What took him so long?” Jongho whispered as he rose.

“Eden is still young in body, but his soul is old and wearied. I think part of him wanted to keep sleeping.”

“Why now, then?” Mingi asked, scratching the back of his head. The three approached Eden’s bed quietly but full of anticipation.

The mystic turned to him and smiled. There was a twinkle in her eye, even through the blue veil of midnight.

“Your presence gives him hope.”

With that, she swept away to mix another drink for her patient, and the boys directed their attention on Eden.

His face contorted with pain as his eyes blinked open. Yunho rushed to offer him the drink, and Eden relaxed as he sipped it and strength gradually returned to him.

“We made it?” He finally croaked out.

Jongho chuckled and slapped Mingi on the back, a little harder than he was bracing himself for. “Mingi saved you,” he explained. “And defeated the beast.”

Mingi blushed at the praise and Eden’s eyes on him. “It didn’t do much for you in the end. We were stuck in a net the whole night.”

“I remember,” Eden hummed softly as it came back to him. “How long have I been out?”

“Just over a week,” Yunho sighed. “Although it doesn’t feel like it. Time passes strangely in this place.”

Eden nodded. He had visited before and the hazy blend of days was no surprise to him.

“When we came with Hongjoong-hyung we barely stayed a couple of hours,” Mingi pointed out.

“San? Is he...?”

“Taken care of,” Jongho told him quickly. “The demon was destroyed and he’s himself again. We were only waiting on you.”

A flash of guilt passed over his face and he sunk lower into the cushions. “You did well,” he finally said, a heaviness to his voice. His eyelids drooped lethargically and in a moment he was asleep again.

A universal sigh was released as Eden stilled and returned to his dreams. They had never even broached the subject of whether he would be able to walk again, but there was some comfort in the fact that he was alive and with them. 

Fireflies glowed in the air outside the balcony and Yunho peeked behind the shade to watch them float, sailing up and down invisible waves of their own.

While it was this peaceful, Yunho couldn’t help but wonder what was on the horizon.

...

Just like usual, Hongjoong was half asleep on the floor with a hand on his gun concealed by his pillow.

Something twinged in the back of his mind, tickling his senses and sending him bolt upright. Immediately he conducted a headcount.

San, Wooyoung, and Yeosang were all tangled up in a mess of limbs, squeezing onto a single bed having fallen asleep holding each other.

Hongjoong didn’t resist the small smile that appeared on his face as he watched them breathe deeply, lost to the world but safe in slumber.

Then he looked for Seonghwa.

His bed was empty. 

Silently, Hongjoong stood and approached it, just to be sure. The blankets were all disheveled, as if they had just been thrown off for a trip to the outhouse or a midnight snack.

Seonghwa’s bag was still there, leaned against a small table. So he intended to return.

But his gun was missing.

Hongjoong didn’t want to pry, not when it came to Seonghwa’s brother and his complicated heritage. But he had taken his gun and gone alone. Which meant he might need help.

He holstered his own gun and crept downstairs to see a single attendant waiting, half-asleep, at the desk for late night travellers. 

“Did a member of my company leave just now?” He asked, approaching the desk and suppressing his smirk at the way the man started awake and stared at him in surprise.

“Oh, y-yes, a young man your age. He took a room key and said he would be back.”

Hongjoong had figured as much, so he nodded and retreated back upstairs to wake the others.

What was Seonghwa thinking, sneaking off to meet the crown prince when he knew the others would support him and come if he asked?

Hongjoong didn’t get a chance to consider it any further before half a dozen bullets blasted through the window, shattering it with a deafening bang and tearing holes in the curtains.

Hongjoong pressed his back to the door and drew his weapon. A few more steps and he would’ve been riddled with holes himself.

With a whirlwind speed, Wooyoung tumbled out of bed and drew up next to the window, out of sight of their unseen enemies, but close enough to return fire.

Hongjoong mirrored him on the other side of the window, but not before checking that San and Yeosang were alright.

They had dove off the other side of the bed and hurriedly loaded their own guns.

“How many?” San called, poking his head up over the bed. It was impossible to tell who was even firing at them through the mess of cloth and glass that was the window.

Wooyoung grabbed the bottom of the tattered curtains and yanked, pulling down the entire rod and leaning out of the way of the bullets that shot through, embedding themselves in the wall.

He swivelled and returned fire. Both shots missed, but they hadn’t been meant for anyone in particular. He turned back around once he had seen what he had to.

“Fifteen.”

San blanched. “Who sold us out?”

“I paid all the dock hands off,” Yeosang insisted. “It can’t have been any of them.” 

“I don’t think you paid them enough, Yeosang,” San quipped, vaulting over the bed and joining Wooyoung.

The sudden motion was detected and another wave of ammunition was fired through the hole that was the window.

Yeosang leaned out from behind the bed and fired three rounds blind in quick succession. Judging from the screams, at least one hit its mark.

“Well done,” Hongjoong praised, impressed that Yeosang’s marksmanship had improved so much. 

“Seonghwa?” Yeosang asked haltingly as soon as he had surveyed the room fully.

“He just left the building,” Hongjoong reported, taking aim at the right flank of men he could see from his vantage point and firing. “I asked the innkeeper.”

“Seonghwa...” Yeosang repeated, a lilt of realisation in his voice. “It was him, he must have been seen leaving the inn. Why else would they choose now to attack us?”

Hongjoong jumped to deny it, but he had a point. The Admiral would never have waited to pounce. The moment he knew they were in his grasp, he would catch them. They had enough of a history that he knew not to play with them.

A bullet grazed Wooyoung’s ear while he reloaded and he sunk lower with a gasp. That was too close.

“We can’t take them, Captain,” he asserted. “There are too many and we’re sitting ducks.”

Hongjoong knew he was right, but he returned fire and took out three of them consecutively before addressing it.

“San, do you still carry Babylon’s spellbook pages?”

San fumbled through his pockets until he felt the edges of parchment in his fingers.  Slowly, he nodded. He had promised himself never to use them again, but he had no choice but to grasp them and flinch at the familiarity.

“Is there anything in there that might help us?”

“You’re going to call for help,” Yeosang realised, ducking when a volley of fire sent a particularly large glass shard his direction.

“Yes, I can do it,” San confirmed, leaning over Wooyoung to take out the soldier who grazed him. “Not in the middle of this racket, though.”

“Then run,” Hongjoong ordered. “Get out of town, and get it done. We’ll cover you.”

San bit his lip and glanced at the other two, who nodded him on without hesitation.

This was the only option.

So San holstered his gun while Hongjoong and Wooyoung unleashed fire on the men below and swiftly crossed the window, moving so quickly he was barely a visible flash before he was gone.

“Don’t get shot!” He yelled back, closing the door behind him.

...

The crown prince’s temporary residence was at the highest point on the island, but it was only a short walk from the inn.

Seonghwa didn’t question his luck when the entrance was only guarded by a chatty pair of men who didn’t notice the shadow slipping past them, but he kept his footfalls silent and his senses alert when he reached Junhee’s bedroom.

He had done his fair share of stealthy break-ins as a teenager.

A curtain separated the sleeping prince from the rest of the world.

Seonghwa silently slid the door shut behind him and cleared his throat quietly. He didn’t want Junhee panicking and summoning the guards on him.

This adventure would be ended quickly if that happened.

“I’ve come home, hyung,” he whispered.

The curtain swung open suddenly and Junhee gaped at him. “What is the meaning of this? Guards—“

“No, wait!” Seonghwa leapt forward and covered the prince’s mouth before he could say any more. “Listen to me first.”

Junhee threw him off and backed up into the curtain. “You’re addressing the crown prince,” he sputtered. “Show the proper respect.”

“I’m sorry, Your Highness,” Seonghwa sighed, hands raised placatingly. “But you’ve been looking for me, haven’t you?”

Junhee’s brow furrowed and his hand stopped where it had been reaching for his sword. “I don’t understand.”

“It’s me,” Seonghwa whispered, surprised at how the words choked him. He hadn’t practiced but then again, this wasn’t the kind of conversation you could practice for. “It’s your little brother.”

Junhee’s face darkened. “You think you’re the first to come claiming to have been stolen from the palace? You’re lying.”

“I’m not, I swear,” Seonghwa pleaded with him, falling to his knees to show he meant no harm at all. “Why do you choose this moment not to see what you’ve been looking for, when it’s right in front of you?”

“I followed his trail,” Junhee said bitterly, tears gathering in his eyes. He backed away even more, as if scared of the person who knelt in front of him. “He died at sea, on a merchant’s ship.”

“No, he survived,” Seonghwa cried, reaching out his hand. “He’s right here in front of you.”

Something shone in Junhee’s eyes. Something that said he wanted to believe it.

“Show me,” he said.

Seonghwa swallowed. He had been stolen at five. There was hardly any knowledge only he could have of his brother or the royal family. He had grown up a commoner with his nurse for his mother.

And then he remembered something she had told him.

“You gave me this scar, hyung,” he gasped, pushing up his hair for the fine line on his forehead to be visible. “You crept into my room when I was an infant, dropped me accidentally, and only three people know. The nurse who stole me, and the two of us.”

Junhee sunk to his knees and took Seonghwa’s face in his hands. He only briefly glanced at the scar, lingering instead on his little brother’s eyes.

“It is you,” he whispered. “It really is.”

Junhee knew what it was like to not be believed, but he had clung to the truth. And that truth had returned to him, crying tears of joy as he entered his arms.

The reunion was interrupted by gunfire.

The brothers pulled back in surprise and Seonghwa stood and went to the window. 

“What’s going on?” Junhee muttered, wiping his tears. “Has a fight broken out?”

Seonghwa didn’t even have to look. He knew who it was and his stomach dropped at the flashes of light coming from its direction.

“The inn.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay!! I’m done with another term at university :) which means more frequent updates (hopefully) for you guys. This volume is wrapping up, but I have another (at least) in the works and plenty of other stories for you to check out if you so desire. Also I hope the two timelines weren’t too confusing for you. They’ve merged into one now, so everything is happening in succession. Don’t forget to kudos and comment if you enjoyed <3


	11. Crossroads Pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hongjoong was staring at Seonghwa with a face that clearly warned him to bide his time. Speak up for their innocence now, and he could easily be thrown in with them. Wait until he had Junhee’s ear to himself, and perhaps they would be set free.

As Seonghwa leapt out the window and started running, he was surprised to hear footfalls following behind him.

He thought he had would have left his brother in the dust, but it seemed the prince was keeping up as the two of them sprinted down the hill and back through the town, guided by the flashes of light and jarring sound of bullets ringing out. 

Seonghwa didn’t even dare hope, but the logical side of him clawed at anything he could think of.  _ The shots are still going _ _,_ his mind whispered. _ They’re fighting back, they haven’t been killed in their sleep. _

How he could have been so stupid to leave them like that, when enemies lurked around every corner?

Junhee called his name but Seonghwa ignored it, hurtling around the corner and slowing to a stop. He and Junhee came face to face with a small group of uniformed men. Royal Navy.

“What’s going on?” Junhee finally burst, leaning over to catch his breath. “Why would you run  _ towards _ gunfire?”

The eyes of the officers before them widened and they immediately prostrated themselves, not expecting to be in the Crown Prince’s presence at such an hour. 

Seonghwa went from gasping at the decimated state of the upstairs window to watching in horror as one by one his friends were led out of the inn. Wooyoung, Yeosang, and Hongjoong— all restrained and disarmed.

From behind them, a familiar figure strutted out with pride. It was Admiral Kim, and half the commanding officers of the ATEEZ, scourge of the Royal Navy, were in his custody.

Actually... only three.

San wasn’t with them, hopefully he had escaped, and as for Seonghwa...

Seonghwa choked on a breath as he realised that somehow, in a stroke of fate, he stood with the favour of the crown prince, and no evidence to connect him to the pirates who were all being forced onto their knees now and displayed for the royalty to see.

“What is the meaning of this?” Junhee asked tiredly, expression nonplussed even as Kim went on to explain.

“Pirates hiding amongst us, skulking about in our towns, probably meaning to kill you, Your Highness.”

Hongjoong was staring at Seonghwa with a face that clearly warned him to bide his time. Speak up for their innocence now, and he could easily be thrown in with them. Wait until he had Junhee’s ear to himself, and perhaps they would be set free.

Seonghwa didn’t like it but he swallowed his doubts and hung behind his brother as the Admiral went on.

“Not just any pirates, either. This is Kim Hongjoong—“

Roughly, he grabbed Hongjoong’s strawberry hair and tugged his face up into the lantern light for all to see.

“—Captain of the pirate band ATEEZ, a frequent thorn in our sides. We’ve run into each other before, haven’t we?”

His cheshire grin spread from cheek to cheek and the pure malice he emanated made Seonghwa’s stomach boil.

They were in serious trouble.

“These are surely fellow pirates of status for him to have been travelling with them,” the Admiral remarked with a gesture towards Wooyoung and Yeosang, who knelt still as statues and ignored the sneers and saliva spray from the officers around them. The Admiral squinted at Yeosang for a moment before adding, “I recognise this one too, but I can’t place where from.”

“Can you prove it?” Seonghwa called when he couldn’t keep it in anymore. These soldiers didn’t look above killing the three of them on the spot.

A cloud passed over the Admiral’s face. “Pardon me, but who is this?”

Finally, Junhee’s tongue came unstuck from the roof of his mouth and he pulled Seonghwa forward. “This is my younger brother, Seonghwa. He’s been missing for some time but I’ve been blessed to be reunited with him tonight. Treat him as you would me.”

That last addendum was air in Seonghwa’s lungs. His voice was being given authority.

“Can you prove that they’re pirates?” He repeated, more confidently this time before gesturing to the houses and shops around them. “Because if not, you’ve just interrupted the sleep of half the island and accused innocent men of... what exactly? Plots to assassinate my brother, the Crown Prince? Seems like quite a leap to conclusions.”

“This one I can prove,” Admiral Kim growled, dragging Hongjoong up and in one precise movement, ripping at the neckline of his shirt and pulling it past his shoulder. Burned into his skin was a pirate brand, a couple years old, situated next to the newer scar from Seunghyun’s bullet months ago. The Admiral gazed at it with satisfaction. “A souvenir from the last time we met.”

A letter seared into a pirate screamed guilt, and could never be removed. There was no way Seonghwa could argue him out of this. 

But he did get some gratification out of watching the Admiral’s face fall at the unmarked skin of Wooyoung and Yeosang. 

“A lucky coincidence for them,” he mumbled. “That they evaded naval encounters thus far.” With that, he shoved their heads back down and didn’t blink when the momentum pushed Yeosang onto his stomach. 

“Wh-Which makes them innocent until proven guilty,” Seonghwa stuttered, cringing at Yeosang’s attempts to sit up, struggling against the officers who pushed him back down.

“Piracy isn’t some quaint, mischievous fringe lifestyle,” the Admiral spat, words laced with poison. “We can’t pardon them just like that when they’ve already been arrested for rooming with a known pirate. They must be investigated, that is the law.”

“Admiral,” Junhee snapped, surprising Seonghwa almost into flinching. “Do not speak down to Prince Seonghwa. He may not be learned in all our laws and their applications, but he is still royalty by blood. And he has a point.”

Admiral Kim bowed his head respectfully but practically hissed back at Seonghwa, more wraith than man, “We’ll keep them in custody here on suspicion of criminal activity by association with Hongjoong.”

Here he turned back to the Captain in question and eagerly clapped him in irons.

“Kim Hongjoong, I charge you with all of your crimes against the Crown and Empire, namely piracy, for which the penalty is death.”

The protesting ruckus of Wooyoung and Yeosang was ceased by a single look from the Admiral. “Don’t worry your colourful little heads. He won’t die until he watches both of you be killed first. Even if I have to drag the evidence up from fishermen and brigands.”

After a brief moment of hesitation, Junhee nodded and Seonghwa stood there and watched his friends be dragged away.

“Your chariot awaits you, pirate kings,” the officers jeered, none too careful with their handling as Yeosang and Wooyoung each received a pair of handcuffs.

“We’ve invented an entirely new class of tortures,” the Admiral crooned into Hongjoong’s ear as he packed him into the carriage waiting to drive the three to the jailhouse. “Just for you and your crew.”

Patience , Seonghwa screamed at himself internally, glued to the spot against his will.

This was Admiral Kim, before whom men trembled in abject fear. He was clever and committed and the moment Seonghwa was out of the man’s sight, he was on the clock.

Kim bowed low before the princes, climbed in with the prisoners, and shut the carriage door tightly.

The hourglass had tipped and sand was sinking quickly.

...

Mingi heard the dawn before he saw it. The mystic’s ménagerie of birds chorused outside his window and heralded in a sunrise that dipped treetops in golden light.

A lazy morning melted into a lazy afternoon and Mingi found that his ever-present itch for action had died. It was like the sweet breeze that tickled the wind chimes was a perfume that relaxed him almost to the point of lethargy.

He sat contentedly on the balcony with Yunho, sipping from a honeyed beverage of some kind that he didn’t care to put a name to, while Jongho kept Eden company inside.

The older pirate still wasn’t on his feet yet, and the pocket watch Mingi pulled out every once in awhile warned him that they’d have to make a decision about what to do soon.

Just as he went to open his mouth and make a suggestion, a particularly strong gust of wind sent autumn leaves wafting past them and up to the twin doors of the mystic’s watchtower.

Mingi watched with fascination as she emerged from behind the shades and caught a leaf as it drifted towards her. Her expression darkened as she gazed at it like it was some kind of messenger.

Suddenly her attention turned to the two of them. “Join me,” she called before turning back inside, silk robes fluttering behind her. There was no need to discuss it, so Yunho and Mingi simultaneously rose from their seats and climbed up to the watchtower, beckoning Jongho along with them.

“I received a prophecy,” the mystic informed them, not even turning from where she stared into her crystal ball. 

“Concerning...us?” Mingi was hesitant in making assumptions, but she had called them up there after all. 

“In a way, yes,” the woman answered, stepping back so they could see. The inside of the globe looked like a mess, flame and crushed plants mingling, a dark substance that looked like water, and a hazy fog swirling around. It was not a clear depiction of the future, but whatever it was, Mingi could tell it was bad.

“Enemies are plotting to strike,” she said gravely, and from the way Jongho fidgeted, Mingi could tell he wasn’t satisfied.

“Which enemies?” The youngest asked. “And plotting to strike when? How?” There was a tinge of jealousy to his voice. Foretelling hidden dangers was once his job.

“That much is clouded still,” the woman sighed, covering the ball with its velvet cloak and settling into a chair. “But this is not like the mischief of demons or the ambition of the Navy. There is unrest in the very fabric of reality. It feels almost like...”

She rubbed her temples until the sensation came back to her and she could put a name to it. “Almost like preparation for war.”

War with the universe.

That notion was like a fuse that flickered on in front of Mingi’s face and tensed his muscles in anticipation of an explosion. His drive had returned to him.

They’d waited around on their backsides long enough. This was as clear a signal as any that their stay in this small paradise was up.

“If you’ll excuse us,” Mingi commanded the room with a quiet cough. “We have some things to discuss.”

...

The cobblestone streets were home to San, and he could navigate them blind. So he ran to the eastern marina in the dark, thinking on his toes.

The Crown Prince’s escort fleet and all the Navy ships were at the western docks, but still San stuck to the shadows and scanned the boats for one special ship.

The ATEEZ was gone.

San triple checked and then clamped his hands to stop himself from tearing his hair out.

Where could they possibly have gone? And why would they leave?

The crew of the ATEEZ had been loyal through every tribulation thusly so why  _ now _ did they choose to betray their officers, at the worst possible moment?

“Pirates!” He hissed in frustration, sitting himself down on the edge of the dock. “Backstabbing, good for nothing, traitorous pirates.”

And now he had to steal a boat.

“But first...” he mumbled, pulling the pages out of his pocket again and staring at the sad, wrinkled parchment.

Had Hongjoong not been resolute in his order to call for help, San wouldn’t have spared the spellbook pages another glance. They’d destroyed his life already, he found it hard to believe they could do any good.

But there, scrawled in a corner on the fourth page, was a spell for silent communication. So he took a deep breath and read it before selecting the person he would call.

He thought back to the voice that had spoken to him in his fight with the demon. Part of him recalled who she was, but all he needed was to remember her voice and try to speak back to it.

“Please help us,” he whispered, reaching out with his mind. “We’re in trouble, the Navy’s come to capture us. Send help.”

He whispered incantations until he felt a jolt of energy and a ringing in his ears. 

His voice had been heard.

...

The more Seonghwa looked, the more he came to believe that San had escaped the battle unharmed.

As soon as the Navy officers had left, he assured Junhee that he would join him in his royal residence soon and entered the inn to comb through the crime scene.

The cowering innkeeper and his family were of no help, so he hurried upstairs to their decimated room and picked through broken glass and curtain for anything incriminating.

It created a pool of regret in him to be rifling through their bags while all of them were probably being beaten senseless elsewhere, but if he was careless, they would experience much worse. The Admiral would probably return soon on a hunt of his own.

Seonghwa sighed in relief at the fact that Yeosang had left Eden’s compass on the ship and the treasure was safe there as well. 

He had to leave some of their belongings or it would be obvious he had come to cover their tracks, but he collected his own bag and all of San’s things. Now it was like the two of them were never there.

As long as the Admiral didn’t know about San, the surgeon had a chance to get off the island and get help.

Seonghwa returned his room key at the front desk before leaving the inn behind. All the keys were accounted for now. One less shred of evidence for the Admiral to uncover on his return.

Seonghwa headed to San’s old house, and thankfully the woman who lived there now was awake and compliant when he asked her not to tell any soldiers of their visit there earlier and paid her in advance for her cooperation.

By the time he returned to the temporary palace, the sky was grey and promised morning soon. 

“You know them, don’t you?” Junhee asked the moment Seonghwa collapsed in the bed his brother had ordered prepared for him.

His mind took a minute to catch up, but Seonghwa hummed quietly when he realised he couldn’t very well deny the statement.

“You know, the merchant told me you were captured by pirates,” Junhee whispered, settling into his own bed once the lights had been extinguished. “It shocks me that you’d defend one of their kind after all they must have done to you.”

There was a moment of silence in which Seonghwa felt he could say nothing other than the truth. When the soldiers questioned them, it would be as if they never knew each other, but to Seonghwa there was no way to minimise what they had done for him.

“They saved me,” he finally croaked out. “These pirates saved me. I’m just returning the favour.”

“You  were travelling with them, then?” Junhee pressed, and he sounded more intrigued than anything as he turned on his side to face Seonghwa. 

“We didn’t come to kill anyone or steal anything,” Seonghwa said softly, emotions he had bottled up in front of the Admiral slowly working themselves out and down his cheeks as he spoke. “I don’t know if it’s within your power but, please, hyung. Please pardon them.”

Junhee stared at him for some time and Seonghwa waited for him to laugh and call him ridiculous. Maybe even turn him over to the Admiral and have him hung with the others.

“Everyone makes mistakes. I’ll speak for the unbranded ones,” Junhee finally said. “But if they are proven guilty...”

He flopped onto his back and broke eye contact, and Seonghwa knew he had made up his mind. “They’ll have to pay for their crimes.”

Seonghwa wanted to fight back, he wanted to explain that none of them deserved death after all the good they had done, but he swallowed his arguments and thanked Junhee humbly.

It was something. More than he could have asked for without his new status, and more than Junhee owed him.

Their quiet mid-morning breakfast was intruded upon by a visit from the Admiral.

Junhee let him in but scowled at the interruption of his explanation of royal eating customs to Seonghwa.

“You’ll have to excuse me,” Admiral Kim apologised with a low bow. “I just wanted to ensure Prince Seonghwa was settling in well.”

Seonghwa raised an eyebrow. He wasn’t here to gloat, which meant Yeosang and Wooyoung weren’t talking for him. As expected, they wouldn’t condemn themselves.

Seonghwa forced a smile and assured the man that he was doing fine, to which the Admiral hardly reacted. What  was he here for?

“Is there an end in sight to the investigations?” Junhee asked conversationally. “I’d like to get home to begin wedding preparations soon.”

“Well,” Kim flashed a charming smile. “I may have a lead to follow up. The pirates’ ship is absent from the harbour.”

“So, perhaps they aren’t pirates after all then?” Seonghwa was quick to ask, trying not to sound too triumphant already.

“What do insects do when it rains?”

Seonghwa was completely blindsided. “Pardon?”

“Critters— insects, spiders and the like. They could be killed by a single drop of rain if it falls on them, so how do they survive?”

Seonghwa froze. The Admiral knew something. He answered his own question and Seonghwa’s thoughts flew to San.

“They scatter.”

...

San watched flames consume the wrinkled parchment, his soul finally at peace as the fire licked away at what remained of the spellbook.

He let the charred scraps fall to the bottom of the harbour and told himself it was the right thing to do. He had used the spells just as he was told and all that remained in that book was death and dark memory.

With the destruction of the spellbook pages, the demon’s plans were officially ended.

Now, San had to run for his life. 

The town was on high alert and he would be caught most certainly if he attempted to return to it.

The only option was to leave the island entirely and wait for help to break him back in.

A small sailboat was anchored just a few spots down from where the ATEEZ had been, and after purloining some food and supplies from the guardhouse kitchen, San snuck aboard to commandeer her.

The wind was insistently pulling him out to sea, so he obeyed it, working tirelessly to man the thing himself and slip out of the marina unnoticed by soldiers. 

From what he could make of the stars, he was headed south. He sent up a prayer, out of spontaneity and not magic, and drifted with the sea. 

Mostly he just hoped his supplies would last, and that the others would get here before he had to worry about them.

Time was slipping away as the sun peeked over the horizon and San felt like he was slipping with it.

...

“Why were you with a known pirate?”

Wooyoung shook his head at the officer yelling at him (a Lieutenant Byun if he had heard correctly) and tried not to tremble where he sat, restrained, in this dungeon they called an interrogation room.

There was no time to collaborate on a story or make a plan of escape. It was just him, this lieutenant, and the bucket of water he kept dunking his head into until this torture ended.

“Answer me, why?”

The world was plunged into freezing watery depths again and Wooyoung fought until his lungs burned like they were about to explode and suddenly he was up again, coughing and making a mess of himself.

He didn’t think he could do this much longer.

The lieutenant grabbed him by the neck to dunk him again and he broke.

“He captured me,” Wooyoung wheezed. And he wasn’t even lying. “It’s the truth. I was working for Bang Si-Hyuk, privateer, and he-he attacked our ship and kidnapped me. That’s how I ended up with him.”

It was a lead that would hopefully send the Admiral after Si-Hyuk for confirmation, buying time if nothing else.

“You expect us to believe you?” The lieutenant laughed.

“Ask Bang himself if you don’t,” Wooyoung’s voice shook but he didn’t care anymore. He just wanted to get out of this room and away from that water bucket. “I don’t have any more information.”

Byun stared at him for a moment before signalling the guards to unbind him and take him back to his cell.

“Well done,” he goaded Wooyoung on the way out. “You’ve just volunteered your brown-haired friend for the next round of questioning.”

Yeosang.

Wooyoung’s eyes fell shut with disappointment in himself and he almost begged them to leave Yeosang alone but he was already being returned to his cell.

Yeosang’s was next to his, and he only had enough time to reach a hand through the bars that separated them apologetically before the guards took him away.

Wooyoung sunk to the floor and tried to collect himself. It was like a metal weight sat on his heart and he could barely move.

Hongjoong’s cell, the one across from him, was empty. Wooyoung didn’t know where they’d taken him and he didn’t want to think about it.

The sooner they got out, the better. He just had to keep believing Seonghwa would help them. If not for him, their entire company would already be dead.

Wooyoung focused on his breathing and memories of the rest of the crew while he tried to recover. He missed them more than he could say.

They had been successful in exorcising San, and San had been successful in escaping, so all things considered, the odds were still favourable. 

Wooyoung just had to keep that in the forefront of his mind and the beatings would be manageable.

After some time of being alone with his thoughts, Yeosang was dragged back into his cell.

Lieutenant Byun brought him back personally with cruel eyes and it was clear that he hadn’t cooperated.

“If he doesn’t want to speak, then he won’t be eating either,” the officer said, sliding food under the bars of Wooyoung’s cell and pointedly avoiding Yeosang’s. “Try to share with him and your fingers will be broken.”

Wooyoung waited until the footsteps retreated to scoot over to the bars that separated the two cells and slip his hand through.

His fingers found Yeosang’s shoulder and after a moment, the other melted under his touch. He turned him around to face him and regretted that they couldn’t embrace through the bars but was glad to be able to see his face.

It was badly bruised and blood was drying where it flowed from his head, but it was the way Yeosang’s eyes struggled to focus that worried him.

“I tried fighting back,” he admitted quietly, eyes lingering on Wooyoung’s untouched meal. “They didn’t take kindly to that.”

Wooyoung rested his forehead against the bars and Yeosang mirrored him. “We just have to hang on and we’ll be out soon,” he finally said, not nearly as confidently as he’d hoped it would come out. “They can’t find anything on us.”

A growl from Yeosang’s stomach reminded Wooyoung of the food waiting for him. After a quick glance around the area, he smuggled a chunk of bread through the bars and immediately paid for it.

A guard shot out of the shadows and entered his cell, yanking the rest of the food away from him and grabbing one of his fingers to deal punishment.

“No, no, please—“

Wooyoung barely had time to muffle his own scream with a fist in his mouth as the finger was snapped, a fracture cracking the bone and a sharp pain shooting from it.

The guard said no more and left the cell. 

Wooyoung didn’t respond to Yeosang’s concerned cries and curled into a ball while the other sighed and petted his hair until the pain and tears had subsided.

Eventually they sat back to back, singing softly to busy their minds. Hongjoong had still not returned, but Wooyoung waited instead for sleep to find them.

In sleep there was at least some respite.

...

Jongho watched the diamond spray of the waterfall cast a rainbow over the valley and listened to Yunho and Mingi argue about what to do.

Mingi was in favour of setting out immediately and asking Eden to pull his weight, and Yunho insisted that the older pirate heal and be able to walk first.

Jongho didn’t know why they hadn’t considered the most obvious option.

“Let’s just leave him here,” he broke in, sighing when they stared at him in surprise. 

“He would never allow that!” Mingi scoffed. 

“We could always just ask him!” Jongho argued back. “Ever think of that?”

“How do you think we’ll even get off this island without his help?” Yunho pointed out, and Jongho was about to make a suggestion when another voice cut him off.

“Just ask me,” the mystic smiled, reaching into her sleeves to hand them something while they scratched their heads wondering where she had come from.

“This, I believe, is yours.”

In her palm lay a knife. The one Hongjoong had given to Mingi, that the beast had run away with stabbed into its skin. 

“How did you get it back?” Mingi breathed, taking the knife reverently and turning it over. 

“I have my ways,” the woman waved off the question before sobering. “I agree with the youngest, it would be wise to set sail now, without Eden to slow you down. I have just received a message, word from San. He flees from Namhae alone and calls for aid. They’re all in grave danger.”

“Is this connected to the war you mentioned?” Mingi asked nervously, sheathing the knife as they made their way inside. It sounded like he’d be needing it.

“Only time will tell,” the mystic said simply, stopping them outside the door to their room. “He’s awake, but I’ll give you some privacy.”

Eden certainly was awake and reading at that, Jongho noticed as they settled into plush cushions and danced around the point of the conversation.

“I know what you’re going to say,” Eden said coolly, shutting the book gently and laying it on the arm of his sofa. “Your crewmates are in trouble and you need to go to them, I understand.”

Mingi frowned at Yunho’s poke in the ribs but opened his mouth to reassure Eden they would only leave if he was in agreement. “It’s just that you still need time to heal, and we can’t wait any longer.”

The sail to Namhae was relatively short but every day they spent was costing their friends.

“I’m in good hands here,” Eden agreed. “Hongjoong will understand when you reunite with him.”

There was a pause where his eyebrows drew together and eventually he sighed.

“Tell him I was wrong. About you, about him... about everything.” The words came out all jumbled together, but he spoke from the bottom of his heart. He believed in them now.

“You children have been nothing short of miraculous.”

Course decided, the three got to packing and said their goodbyes. Jongho knew the first place he was coming back to when he had the chance, and it was this island. It was a wonderful and awe-inspiring place, and he had a friend to return to now as well.

Eden called his name as he was about to cross the threshold, so he turned back to hear his parting words.

“If we ever meet again, I hope it is under much better circumstances.”

...

In the dim hole that was their prison, it was impossible to tell how much time had passed.

Meals came infrequently, and Wooyoung was much more careful about being caught sharing after his earlier stunt.

To ease the guards’ suspicions, it took a few days of eating his meals himself before he could slip something to Yeosang through their clasped hands, sitting back to back against the bars like they had done before.

Hongjoong came and went, always with very little sleep, and Yeosang couldn’t help but notice how the guards stopped marching him out for “questioning” and started dragging him.

If he put up a fight, it wasn’t in front of them. He never had much to say when he was around, either, apart from asking if they had eaten and begging them to trust him.

He said he knew what he was doing. He said he had a secret plan. He said he needed them to be patient. So they were.

Conversation was strictly discouraged by the guards, but they got by with being able to look at each other, and in Yeosang and Wooyoung’s case, cling to each other through the bars.

It seemed the Admiral had forgotten about them, or was no longer interested.

No one interrogated them for days, and it seemed they couldn’t lawfully be beaten outside of interrogation tactics as suspects and not proven pirates. 

They waited endlessly in the damp mustiness of the prison, a stone floor for their beds and stale food for their bellies.

Morale had sunk low enough that they didn’t bother to whisper about escape anymore, but the stray thought about Seonghwa was an ever-present hope. He was working on getting them out. They were sure of it.

Until one morning when both were escorted to the interrogation room together and Yeosang was sat down for the Admiral himself to question.

“I found something peculiar when looking through the evidence,” Admiral Kim told them theatrically, waving a couple of scrolls in the air before unrolling one and showing it to Yeosang.

“A map,” Yeosang deadpanned. He had resisted all of Byun’s interrogation techniques, and he wasn’t about to cave in front of the Admiral.

Wooyoung watched anxiously from the side.

“Not just any map,” the Admiral lilted, tapping the right corner. “This one has portions of the East charted on it. Places no one outside of my fleet has ever been.”

“What are you insinuating?” Yeosang gritted out. “I’m tired of playing games.”

The Admiral’s smile wilted and he tossed the maps to the ground. He was angry now.

Yeosang flinched as the Admiral reared his hand back for a slap, but suddenly the man froze and everything went quiet for a moment.

Kim’s hand came up alongside Yeosang’s face, and he rubbed some of the blood off his eyelid. He was gentle, tender even, and as much as it sickened Yeosang, it allowed him to breathe for a minute.

“I thought I recognised you,” the Admiral said quietly, thumb lingering on the birthmark next to Yeosang’s eye. “Now I know where from.”

Yeosang didn’t move a muscle, willing the man to stop putting the pieces together, but it didn’t work.

“Kang Yeosang.”

Byun and the other guards gasped at this revelation. They had the son of their own Head Navigator imprisoned and tortured.

“Let them free,” the Admiral sighed, finally stepping back and crossing his arms. He ignored the look Lieutenant Byun gave him and opened the door to let the two shocked prisoners walk free.

“Unfortunately, I made a promise to your father once, that I would make sure no harm ever came to you,” he said by way of explanation, walking behind the pair as they helped each other towards the exit. “He wouldn’t be very happy with me if I had you executed.”

And as for Wooyoung, it seemed he was imprisoned by association and pardoned by association as well. It was the first thing Yeosang insisted upon and surprisingly, the Admiral allowed it.

“I’m after another member of Hongjoong’s company now,” he informed them vaguely, a knowing smile teasing his lips. “One who seems to have escaped me. But I won’t presume to glean information from you— off you go!”

The door was open. They could leave. 

Wooyoung turned back as they limped towards the light, just in time to see the Admiral enter Hongjoong’s cell.

“There’s going to be an execution next week in the square,” the man snarled. “Yours.”

Yeosang and Wooyoung shared a knowing look. They were on the other side of the bars, which meant they were responsible for springing their Captain out next.

Knuckles white around the bars of his cell, Hongjoong’s hoarse voice rang out and followed the Admiral as he left.

“I may have to go down. But I’m taking you with me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ONE CHAPTER TO GO!!! And then I start the next instalment in the series ;) Things are getting really intense, what do you think will happen? Comment or hmu on Twitter (tiny_tokki) to let me know <3


	12. The Execution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “We’re not doing enough. I’m not sure what else we could be doing, but we aren’t doing it.”

When the door slammed shut, Hongjoong felt like he could breathe again.

He couldn’t really feel much of anything at all anymore other than dull pains here and there, but he finally took a moment to absorb what was happening as he was truly alone for the first time in days.

A wave of relief washed over him when he realised everyone else was free now. If only they’d leave this place and never come back.

A storm was coming and it would consume everyone in its path.

Hongjoong was more distracted than usual during his daily chat with the Admiral, a fact that didn’t go unnoticed.

“I know there was another member of your company,” Kim barked, pacing the cell as his eyes burned holes into him. They didn’t bother with the interrogation room anymore.

“Where did he go?” the Admiral’s impatience was growing, so he motioned to Lieutenant Byun where he stood fiddling with his sword. “Will you talk if we burn you again? No? Maybe you’d rather freeze instead? Break his legs, Lieutenant.”

No, he needed those. 

Flogging was one thing, potentially permanent damage was different. Hongjoong searched the Admiral’s face and thought back to the first time he met him, trying to figure out why the man was determined to make him suffer. It hit him like a load of bricks.

“I didn’t know—“ 

Hongjoong shifted to avoid the advancing Lieutenant.

“I didn’t know he was your son!”

The Admiral halted Byun with a quick hand motion and dragged Hongjoong up himself, tears brimming in both their eyes until the man gritted out a response.

“You had to have known he was someone’s.”

“Admiral, Prince Seonghwa is here to visit the prisoner,” Lieutenant Byun informed him, awkwardly clearing his throat until the Admiral dropped the prisoner and turned to see Seonghwa walking down the hall and stopping outside the occupied cell.

He was clothed in royal robes borrowed from his brother and he didn’t look happy.

It was unclear how much he had overheard.

Kim and Byun both bowed respectfully and the Admiral plastered a fake smile to his face. “What an unexpected delight. To what do we owe the pleasure?”

“That is my business alone,” the prince responded calmly. “How long do I have?”

“Five minutes,” the Admiral responded, face darkening. “We have a conversation to resume.”

Seonghwa nodded and shifted nervously as the guard unlocked the cell for him to enter.

“He’s your prince,” Kim snapped, turning back to Hongjoong. “Bow to him.”

After a brief moment of surprise, Hongjoong did as he was told, trying to quell his trembling but holding the pose until the Admiral grunted with satisfaction.

“Call the guard if you need anything,” Byun instructed Seonghwa as the two of them stepped out.

Hongjoong tilted his head in confusion. “Seonghwa?”

Seonghwa rushed forward to hug the prisoner but thought better of it and stopped in his tracks.

“That looks like it hurts,” he mumbled, motioning to the fresh bruises and bloodstains as soon as the officers had left them.

Hongjoong shook his head and scooted back to give Seonghwa room to sit comfortably. “It’s not bad. What are you doing here?”

“I’m... I’m just here to reassure you that you haven’t been abandoned,” Seonghwa chuckled nervously, careful to keep the dirt off his new robes. “I don’t think it was my word that got Yeosang and Wooyoung freed, but my brother will unleash hell on Kim if he tries to put them back, I’ve made sure of it.”

“Your brother, the Crown Prince,” Hongjoong smiled and shook his head. “I’m glad you finally reunited, even though it was undercut by this mess.”

“Well, it’s not over yet.” Seonghwa’s eyes glinted and he leaned in closer just in case anyone was in earshot.

“If we just get more time, we can sneak you out of here.”

Hongjoong was already shaking his head. “It’s not happening, Seonghwa.”

“I can smuggle something in like you did back at the Fortress, something to help you pick the lock and get out—“

“They’ll check you before you visit, you know that,” he insisted. “It’s not happening.”

“I can knock out the guards, then, and we can—“

“They’ll know it was you and your word upholding Wooyoung and Yeosang loses its merit. Or worse, they’ll assume it was one of them and we’ll be right back where we started. It’s not happening, Seonghwa. I mean it.”

“But what else am I supposed to do?” Seonghwa threw his hands up, exasperated. “Let them kill you? Because we both know that’s the only way he’ll be satisfied.”

“Just trust me, Seonghwa,” Hongjoong sighed. He’d been saying it since he’d been brought here and they all refused to listen to him. “This is a secure prison and the situation is just... it’s not happening.”

“Then that means...” Seonghwa put the pieces together slowly. “You’ll have to escape at the execution.”

Hongjoong nodded. He’d never had to deal with things going that far before, but there was a first time for everything.

“That’s if they don’t beat you to death first,” Seonghwa pointed out.

Hongjoong cracked a smile at the matter-of-fact way he said it.

“Don’t laugh!” Seonghwa was tempted to shove him but that idea was quickly discarded. “This is serious. You and your disregard for your own life. Unbelievable.”

Hongjoong sobered as he eyed the guard coming to collect Seonghwa. “I mean it, you need to trust me.”

“It’s always me trusting you,” Seonghwa pouted. “Why can’t it be the other way around?”

“I do trust you, Seonghwa,” Hongjoong said seriously, sliding back as the guard unlocked the cage and motioned for Seonghwa to leave. “I do trust you.”

Seonghwa swallowed his pride and left before the prison guards could get aggressive. The moment he stepped outside he had to wipe the emotion off his face.

He was Prince Seonghwa now.

His own bodyguards followed him all the way back to the royal residence. He was tempted to argue that if he could survive the unrestrained violence and near constant threat of his previous occupation, he could surely survive the walk back home.

But, of course, they weren’t supposed to know about that. And it was the first time he had even been allowed to leave the royal residence so he wasn’t pushing his luck.

The guards simply warned him that if he insisted on walking everywhere instead of going by palanquin, they would be walking with him. 

In Junhee’s room, he was free of them at last. The sun was setting through the window shades on a busy day.

The morning had been spent getting Yeosang and Wooyoung set up at the inn (across the hall from their previous room). Practically inexhaustible funds proved to be another of the benefits to being the long lost prince. 

Junhee had requested to have lunch with him and set him to studying the necessary materials for acting the part of a prince. That’s all Seonghwa felt like he was doing— acting— but he appreciated the instruction nonetheless, especially where it came to laws and regulations.

He had spent the rest of the afternoon listening for reports of San, searching the upper part of town for him. According to Wooyoung, he had been sent with the spellbook pages for help in the middle of the attack, and Seonghwa didn’t know where he might’ve taken those spells, but he wouldn’t rest until he found him and ensured his safety.

Coming up empty and tiring of being followed by bodyguards, he dropped by the prison to visit Hongjoong.

And now here he was watching the sunset and asking himself whether he was doing enough.

“What did you have for supper?” Junhee asked from his side of the room as he changed into nightclothes. “Chef Yoo tells me you didn’t turn up while I was dining with my fiancée’s family.”

“Street food in the market,” Seonghwa responded nonchalantly while he followed suit. He was more than glad to escape from the royal robes. It was nigh impossible to move with the silk constricting him.

Junhee sighed quietly before speaking up again. “Seonghwa, you can’t be seen in public running around and eating commoners’ food. At least not while you’re dressed royally.”

Seonghwa turned to look at him curiously. Implicitly, he was being told that it was fine to do whatever he pleased as long as he was undercover. That was to be expected from Junhee, though, considering the man had been undercover himself for years while he searched for Seonghwa. “Alright,” he agreed.

“It would still be prudent for you to dine with me,” Junhee went on, slipping the shirt over his head. “Your palette is nowhere near as refined as it should be if you’re to measure up to future in-laws.”

Seonghwa’s fingers got caught in a loop as he froze. Something told him Junhee wasn’t talking about his own fiancée. “Now, hold on, I didn’t sign up for marriage quite yet—“

“You’re taking it off all wrong, Seonghwa, let me help,” Junhee interrupted, hurrying over to help him undress and effectively ending the conversation about potential weddings there.

As soon as the cloth was pulled away, Junhee gasped at the state of Seonghwa’s skin. Tender flesh that had healed over an old bullet wound, a scar at the base of his throat— 

“You’ve been through a lot, haven’t you?”

He ghosted his fingers over the skin and he sounded worried but his voice was more sad than anything. He didn’t know what Seonghwa may have done to deserve such injury, but it was horrible fate that anyone at all, let alone someone of such noble birth had been treated so barbarically. If Junhee knew who gave him both of those scars it would help nothing.

Seonghwa looked down at the evidence of his own wounds and paused for a moment before answering. “It’s not all bad.”

Junhee smiled fondly and helped him get the rest of his robes off, handing him a fresh set of nightclothes. “How _is_the life of a pirate, then?”

“Surprisingly domestic,” Seonghwa grunted as he pulled the shirt over his head. “Try it sometime if you don’t believe me.”

“I don’t think I will, thanks,” Junhee laughed, settling into his own bed. “Not if it puts me at risk of whatever happened to you.”

He waited until Seonghwa was comfortable in bed too before adding quietly, “I can’t promise your safety, but as a prince you will certainly have more security than as a pirate.”

Seonghwa hummed gratefully but he knew deep down that he had seen too much to sit safely on a throne.

Not when he still had a week to save the necks of those closest to him.

...

There was electricity in the air and it made Yunho’s hairs stand on end.

The boat was a bit more work with only three of them setting sail this time but they were motivated and running low on time.

After what seemed like ages on the mystic’s island, it actually took an hour or two for them to adjust to the roll and pitch of their vessel. Yunho hadn’t been seasick since he first joined the ATEEZ but his dizziness was giving him second thoughts. 

“Mingi, I think we need to turn three points north or we might miss Namhae,” Jongho was saying, biting his lip nervously and looking at their charts.

“No, we’re on track, you’re just saying that because of the position of the sun,” Mingi argued back, pointing to the distant ball. “Time is back to passing normally now, remember? Just because it moves doesn’t mean we are.”

“Speaking of the sun,” Yunho broke in as he gazed at it. There was a loose halo around it, like a shadow of tiny droplets reflecting its brilliance, and he remembered the rhyme from his youth. “‘Ring around the sun, rain before the day is done.’ It’s exceptionally humid, we’re due for a thunderstorm any minute now.”

Yunho wasn’t born on the sea by any means, but he had done the work necessary to catch up and become an experienced seaman. That included learning to identify the signs of a squall.

“_Exceptionally_ humid? I don’t think so,” Mingi shook his head and turned to look at the sun again. “It’s been humid all season.”

“And! Easterly winds,” Yunho said triumphantly, indicating the full sail. “A storm is travelling toward us from behind.”

“But it wasn’t storming on the island when we left—“

“That’s because the island is a magic bubble that doesn’t experience normal time or weather. Trust me on this, I can feel it.”

“Yunho is right,” Jongho interjected. “Unlike you old men, I can’t feel an air pressure change in my bones or anything but that is a pod of harbour porpoises over there and they are heading back to shore.”

All three of them watched as four porpoises in the distance sped underwater back towards the island. 

“And...?” Mingi pouted, failing to see the relevance.

“Porpoises always head to shore before a gale,” Jongho said with a roll of his eyes. “I thought everyone knew that.”

“Well, not everyone is raised by mermaids,” Mingi countered. “So you can talk to animals, too?”

“No, but honestly Mingi, you lived in a fishing village, didn’t you?” At this point Jongho was fully calling him out. “It’s the tail end of typhoon season and I know the signs when I see them. We need to prepare now, not when we’re being tossed by the waves.”

Mingi gulped and finally let his shoulders drop. Denying the inevitable wasn’t going to help. The wind ruffling his hair was proof of that.

“Alright, Yunho help with the sail, Jongho I’ll need you bailing when it starts to rain,” Mingi ordered before looking anxiously at the sky, waiting for it to darken. 

It was time to be a leader.

...

Nestled safely in a delivery bag strapped to a messenger while he rode his horse was a very important letter.

It was stamped with an urgent sign, as well as Admiral Kim’s own personal seal.

On the morning that Yeosang visited Hongjoong, the messenger reached his destination, trotted up to the front door, and left the letter himself in the hands of Head Navigator Kang.

_My old friend,_

_Finally after these several years not knowing what became of your dear son, I am pleased to report that I have found him. He did indeed leave the service of Bang Si-Hyuk of his own accord, and I regret to inform you that he fell in with the likes of pirates. And not just any scum— the ragtag crew of the ATEEZ, a pirate vessel I’m sure you’ve heard of, for it is captained by Kim Hongjoong, protège of Eden. _

_I’ve been hunting this ship for some time and while I can cheerfully announce that the captain is in my custody and due for a public hanging, his ship and crew still elude me. I also regret that I cannot tell you how your son became entangled with them, so I suppose you will have to ask him yourself._

_I am quite occupied at present but if you would like to collect him and bring him home (and dare I suggest, talk some sense into him) he is staying at the Jihada Inn, Namhae Island. I’ve kept an eye on him while he’s been staying there and am willing to accommodate you when you arrive though I may be busy with other matters._

_Safe travels and Long Live the King,_

_Admiral Kim Junmyeon_

...

Yeosang forced a smile while he was led back through the jail halls, halls he had wished never to see again, until they left him alone in the cell with Hongjoong.

Hongjoong was the only reason he had come back to this place. He would just as soon leave it behind as another of his darkest memories, but he owed it to his captain to keep him informed. And he owed it to Wooyoung to go in his stead and spare him any further emotional distress.

The captain in question was sitting against the wall, fast asleep after what had probably been days. Yeosang gave him a minute of peace, watching his chest rise and fall gently, before shaking him awake.

His bright hair had faded to a dusty pink in the dullness and darkness of his cell, but he pushed it out of his eyes and craned his neck to look at Yeosang.

Blinking at him lethargically, Hongjoong checked the otherwise empty hall.

“What happened to Seonghwa?”

“He’s looking for San,” Yeosang sighed, settling into a crouch. “The Admiral is searching for him relentlessly. It may be the only reason you’re still alive, actually.”

Hongjoong hummed in agreement. As morbid of a thought as it was, it was probably true. The Admiral was greedy and he wanted to wipe out as much of the ATEEZ as he could in one fell swoop.

“We’ll visit you as often as we can, in shifts,” Yeosang was talking again, voice a little softer now. “The Admiral has allowed it. The Navy’s not completely barbaric, you know...”

It was supposed to reassure Hongjoong, but all he could do was shake his head. “Yeosang, you realise the moment you leave...” He stopped himself before he ruined the mood. There was no use dwelling on those things.

Instead he couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. Yeosang looked at him curiously. “Why are you laughing?”

“Just thinking about the role reversal.” His expression softened into a smile as he explained. “It was the other way around at the Fortress island. I was walking free and you were the imprisoned one.”

“But Hongjoong,” Yeosang scoffed. “This is different, they’re trying to execute you!”

Hongjoong frowned. Why did Yeosang always feel the need to downplay his own suffering?

“I told Mingi something after that experience and it’s still true,” Hongjoong said after a long pause. “I’d rather be dead and free than behind bars for the rest of my life. I mean that.”

“Well I’d rather you stay alive,” Yeosang whispered with a halfhearted smile. He was trying to be hopeful, and Hongjoong appreciated it, but he could see how nervous Yeosang was.

“Don’t do anything stupid. We’ll have you out of here soon.” The guards were already coming to collect him.

It was like he had forgotten everything Hongjoong had said when they were imprisoned together.

Hongjoong nodded anyway and hugged him before watching him go. He smiled the whole time for Yeosang’s sake, but he knew it was impossible. There was no way everything could go back to normal.

Yeosang would be dragged home, and he would be dragged to the square to be hung. That was where his fate would be decided, not in this prison.

Yeosang realised that he was shaking halfway through the walk home. It was so much easier to just forget the prison, forget the Admiral, forget their “conversations”... 

And yet the moment he returned to the inn he had Wooyoung’s broken finger confronting him.

“It’s healing fine,” Wooyoung reassured him gently over dinner. The mood was a far cry from the meal they’d shared there as a group of four. “Look, I can even hold utensils properly...”

Yeosang forced a smile again (he’d lost count of how many it had been) and pushed back his own plate. It felt wrong to be eating when Hongjoong was probably starving.

“No, no, come on,” Wooyoung tutted, taking his hand to grab his attention. “I know what you’re thinking. But you haven’t eaten properly in days, you need the nutrition.”

Yeosang shook his head and dropped it into his hands. Here they were in this hotel, dressed in brand new clothes, with enough money to buy them every meal for the rest of the week thanks to Seonghwa, and yet it didn’t feel like the healing time it was supposed to be.

“We’re not doing enough. I’m not sure what else we could be doing, but we aren’t doing it.”

“Yeosang, we’re recovering,” Wooyoung whispered, drawing back and lowering his eyes. He sounded hurt, and Yeosang itched to comfort him, but where could he even start?

He stayed silent until they were alone in their room and preparing for bed. Wooyoung held a bowl of water, seemingly to wash his face, but was frozen staring into it, clutching the edges with a white knuckle grip.

“I can’t,” he whispered suddenly. “I can’t do it.”

“Do you... need help?” Yeosang offered, knowing full well he hadn’t so much as been able to look at a water basin until today. 

Wooyoung glanced up at him and nodded, holding out a washcloth. So Yeosang washed his face for him, wiping dirt and tears away, and murmuring what comfort he could.

“We’re recovering,” he repeated his own words back to him, and wondered if helping Wooyoung heal was helping himself heal as well.

When he lay in bed fighting nightmares and phantom pains, he rolled over and watched Wooyoung sleep.

If staying sane was all they could do for now, Yeosang was dead set on doing it.

...

Seonghwa tried not to flinch as his hair was tugged back to fit his new crown.

His blonde had been dyed back to black at Junhee’s request. He said it looked more royal and wanted the two to match, and that was fine, but Seonghwa remembered the day he dyed it to blonde with a pinch of sorrow.

They had been happy on that island, even if only for a day. 

Seonghwa stared at himself in the mirror while attendants helped him into his ceremonial robes and wondered if they’d be able to go back someday, when all this was over.

“You look stunning,” Junhee complimented him with a giddy smile when he climbed into the palanquin. “Are you ready to greet everyone?”

“Yes,” Seonghwa said after a pause. It was true, he did want to learn and he did want to meet his new subjects, even if it was an inconvenient time to have a royal parade through Namhae.

Seonghwa felt uncomfortable with the way they treated him. It was always difficult to trust when you’ve been kicked down your whole life only for everyone to declare they love you one day.

Still, he smiled and waved when the curtain was pulled back and citizens lined the streets to throw flowers and gifts in their path.

It was only some cheering men and swooning women, Seonghwa could handle it.

The masts of ships craned like necks above the seaside houses and, noticing the absence of one he recognised, Seonghwa got a strange feeling in his chest.

“Take us by the port,” he requested, keeping the shaking out of his voice as long as he could while he came up with an excuse. “I miss the sea breeze on my face.”

Junhee nodded sympathetically and repeated the order for the palanquin bearers.

When the harbour was in view his suspicions became confirmed.

The ATEEZ was gone.

...

When Yeosang returned to visit Hongjoong that evening, he didn’t even bother forcing a smile.

He had received a particularly unpleasant message that morning and didn’t know who else to go to.

“My father is on his way to- to bring me home. I don’t know when the Admiral called him or why Seonghwa didn’t put a stop to it but...”

His voice broke and Hongjoong’s heart broke for him. 

“But everything is falling apart now and I can’t even do anything about it,” he sobbed.

This time it was Hongjoong pulling him into a hug and hanging on tight for as long as he was able.

“I fear I’ve only brought you pain,” Hongjoong mumbled when their time was almost up and Yeosang had realised this was goodbye.

“No, on the contrary. It’s been an honour,” he sniffled, and he meant it. Hongjoong’s shirt was in shreds and practically hanging off him but Yeosang clung to it anyway.

His father was on his way and this might be the last chance he got for who knows how long.

“He’ll be here soon. The winds are with him.”

“You’ve been tracking the winds while we’ve been on land?” Hongjoong was amazed.

“I have,” Yeosang shrugged and his cheeks glowed with embarrassment. He was shy Yeosang again for a glimpse of time and not the burdened shadow he had become. “Habit, I guess. But if only tracking the winds could slow them.”

Hongjoong saw his shoulders fall and tilted his head, thinking of a way to lighten the mood. “Even if he locks you up in a high tower, you know we’ll come rescue you, right?”

Yeosang shoved him playfully, careful of his wounds, before sobering to say what he felt he needed to as the guards warned him of the time.

“I usually like to be alone,” Yeosang admitted. “There’s comfort in solitude and I’ve always appreciated it, but with all of you... I feel like I can actually hear myself think. The decks of the ATEEZ are my home, not that big empty house. And I won’t forget it.”

Hongjoong simply hugged him tight, pressing a kiss to his forehead and watching him leave with heavy steps, leaning against the bars as the air left his lungs.

The two of them had come a long way.

...

Admiral Kim was at his wits end. Every trail that was headed towards the escaped pirate led only to failure. It was as if someone had perfectly covered his tracks and Kim knew it was too expertly done to be a mere pirate.

Only one day until the execution remained and he was done waiting. He’d beat the answer out of the prisoner they _did_ have, or they’d send him to the gallows alone and hope the escapee wandered into their clutches.

A mere five minutes in and it was clear they’d be going with the second plan.

Hongjoong made sure of it.

“Stop getting back up!” The Admiral screamed. He had pushed them both to the edge of sanity, himself included. “You’ve no parents to mourn you, your mentor is at the bottom of the sea, your crew has abandoned you, and I’ve wiped out the rest of your kind. Whatever escape you have up your sleeve is pointless, you’ll live in fear the rest of your life and I’ll hunt you down and kill you. So stop getting back up!”

He punctuated each word of his final line with a blow and then panted from his impromptu speech, glaring at Byun’s concern at his apparent frustration.

“That’s enough for today,” the Admiral muttered before storming out.

Hongjoong didn’t bother trying to resist the sweet release of sleep. Tears collected in his eyelashes but he couldn’t blink them away anymore. They stung faintly where they ran in salty tracks and mingled with open wounds, but Hongjoong barely registered it.

The Admiral was right about one thing; this would all be over soon.

...

“Did you know about this?” Seonghwa sighed, gesturing to the empty spot at the marina. That’s where the ATEEZ was supposed to be.

He’d met the others there in the first watch of the night to discuss what they could before Yeosang was dragged back home. 

Both Wooyoung and Yeosang shook their heads. “Everyone’s separating,” Wooyoung realised quietly, eyes flitting over to Yeosang who remained silent. “And there goes our ride off this island.”

Seonghwa pinched his nose and forced an exhale. He was one incident away from a mental breakdown at this point and all he could do was mutter frustratedly, “Captain is going to be executed tomorrow and even as royalty I can’t do a thing to stop it.”

“Come now, surely he can’t be hanged without due process,” Wooyoung grasped for something legitimate. “And with no evidence and no one to speak for him...”

“Plenty of the Admiral’s own men will speak,” Yeosang finally sighed. “_Against_ him. They believe they have good reason and that they may execute him. He’s a proven pirate, no matter the circumstances, and our country has no mercy for pirates.”

Wooyoung pinched his skin in some unconscious effort to pull a solution out of himself. “What’s he thinking?” He whined.

“Why doesn’t he just tell us his plan? It’s more likely to succeed if we help him, isn’t it?”

It was also more likely that they’d be hung with him if they plotted alongside him.

“The Fortress was his test of trust,” Yeosang whispered, nervously watching a distant ship as it approached. “I think this one is ours.”

...

“Shouldn’t we be taking in sail?”

Jongho had to yell to be heard above the wind and the cracks of thunder.

He repeated his question twice, all while bailing bucket after bucket of water out of their sorry boat. She was persevering now, but the seams were wearing thin and Jongho didn’t know how much longer they would hold up.

“No,” Mingi finally answered him. “We’re going to run the storm. We have the wind at our backs, it can speed us to Namhae.”

“Or it can tear us to shreds,” Jongho returned, frustrated. It was a battle of wits between their puny boat, sped by the wind, and the wind itself with all its ripping strength. “We don’t have spares, can we really risk it?”

“She’ll hold,” Yunho promised, gripping the ropes tightly in his hands. “I’ll hold her together myself if I have to.”

A flash of lightning just above them sent Jongho’s heart leaping. He had always been frightened of thunderstorms as a child, and he supposed he had never really gotten over that fear, only contained it to keep it from showing.

It was a storm on the beach, after all, that had led him to the mermaid cove. And his dreams had stormed inside him ever since.

Jongho had beaten those dreams, he’d beaten their odds, and he’d beaten the crystal that inflicted them to tiny shards. He could beat this thunderstorm too.

He let the rumbling sound wash over him before breathing deeply and helping Yunho close-haul the sail. 

His muscles were fatigued and his clothes were rain-soaked but he felt alive in that moment and he knew they all had the same feeling.

They could beat this.

...

“That’s your father arriving, isn’t it?”

Sure enough, the swinging lanterns reflected on the water belonged to a Navy ship that was coming in. Head Navigator Kang stood at the bow, and he looked displeased to say the least.

So that was why Yeosang had brought his luggage to the docks.

Seonghwa embraced Yeosang quickly, pressing their foreheads together and promising him he would reunite with him again, then slipping away before he was spotted.

Wooyoung clung to Yeosang until the last possible second.

A clanging bell signalled the ship’s arrival but Wooyoung wanted nothing more than to turn it around and send it back to sea.

He and Yeosang had to stay together. Even in a Navy prison, even if they risked death, they had to stay together. And here was this man who called himself Yeosang’s father, arriving only to separate them.

“We’ll find each other again, too, won’t we?” He swallowed nervously but Yeosang’s nod was reassuring. 

This entire business had come around at the wrong time, just when the crew had surrendered everything, just when they’d ended their quest and committed to choosing their own paths.

“When the time is right, we’ll meet again,” Yeosang declared. “I don’t care who gets in my way, I’m taking my life back. And I know you’re meant to be in it— all of you.”

Wooyoung pulled him into one last hug, rocking with the force of it and forcing his sobs to stay inside. 

Even as he pulled away and walked up the gangplank, disappearing belowdecks without even a spare glance at his father, Yeosang’s words echoed in Wooyoung’s head. _When the time is right..._

The tears were sticky on his face and he turned back towards the town with purpose the moment the ship had left his sight.

He had someone else to say goodbye to.

Wooyoung hadn’t seen Hongjoong since he’d left his own jail cell, but the bedraggled form lying behind bars hardly looked like the same person.

“Let me in!” He screamed at the key keeper. “Let me in, do you hear me? You’re killing him, please, just let me—“

More to cut off his complaints than anything, the guard unlocked the cell and hurriedly closed it behind him as he rushed in.

“Wooyoung?” A faint voice left the sorry lump that was his captain and Wooyoung rushed to take him in his arms just to know he was still alive. Hongjoong protested the movement and pushed at him the moment he drew back. “You shouldn’t have come. You need to leave, all of you.”

Wooyoung wanted to punch him for saying such a ridiculous thing, but his fist withdrew as his eyes found the bruises littered across his captain’s body.

“I’ve made my peace with this,” Hongjoong whispered, squirming like he was exposed. “All I can ask is that you try to do the same.”

“No.”

“No?”

“You haven’t made peace with it— not really! Those are tears in your eyes, I know you’re afraid...”

“Not afraid for myself. I know what I’m doing.” He’d said it a thousand times and it figured to Wooyoung that he’d say it again. Hongjoong’s shoulders slumped with the pause that followed and he met his eyes again, heartbroken. “I’m just sad that I have to leave all of you behind.”

“Then take us with you,” Wooyoung’s voice came out in a pathetic whimper, but he could no longer stifle the sorrow working its way up his throat.

“You don’t understand,” Hongjoong coughed until his voice was hoarse and looked back up at Wooyoung to whisper to him, “This place will burn, I will not let you burn with it.”

“No. No, sir, I did not watch you come back to life before just to let your misplaced altruism get in the way again, please...” Wooyoung knew it was hopeless but he was fixed to his spot. It was abandoning ship or disobeying his Captain and both were dishonourable to him. 

He stayed in the middle ground like that until the sharp voice of the guard warned him of the time.

Finally he released a long and trembling breath, as if drawn out of his very soul.

A year ago he would have run the other way at the first whiff of trouble. But here he was now, wholly undone at the thought of losing one who had somewhere along the way become dear to him.

When had any of these pirates become dear to him? Wooyoung could not for the life of him remember.

“Trust me, Wooyoung,” Hongjoong insisted one last time. “Get out of town, I’m begging you.”

“How will we find each other again?”

“I’ll find you,” he whispered. “Keep a weather eye on the horizon for me.”

Wooyoung would not have been able to leave the cell without that promise.

He needed them, too, like he needed air to breathe, and more than he had ever cared to admit. 

He hurried to the hotel to pack his things. The rest of the crew may be unreachable but there was still someone out there who could use his help.

He was going to finish what the others had started.

He was going to find San.

...

Mingi opened his eyes to a rare moment of near stillness in a world that was always moving.

The sunrise peeked through dispersing storm clouds behind them and the boat was still in one piece, with all of them inside it.

Mingi cracked a fond smile at Jongho’s bedhead, more of fluffy bird’s nest than a head of hair, and reached out to smooth the strands back into place.

Jongho opened a tired eye before accepting his fate and waking up fully. On his other side, Yunho stretched and went to check the hold for food and water.

“We made it,” Mingi croaked, his already deep voice made scratchy from yelling orders all evening.

Jongho nodded solemnly and looked around to see where they were. The birds swooping low above the waves seemed to excite him. 

“Land is close,” Mingi agreed. “Namhae, if my calculations were any good at all.”

“Ship to starboard,” Yunho reported, mouth already full of what food they had left, but taking his duties seriously anyway. “No, actually, ships to starboard. Multiple.”

Mingi’s brow furrowed and he moved to the bow to see for himself. Even through the telescope he couldn’t tell yet what colours they were flying but they weren’t the Navy’s.

The Navy would have made the most sense considering the “grave danger” the mystic had described, but Mingi knew to be cautious anyway.

It wasn’t just one ship, it was at least a dozen. And they circled in the water like sharks, waiting for something.

Could this be a sign of the war she said was coming?

“What is it...?” Jongho asked, stifling a yawn and joining him at the bow. 

“Unexpected traffic outside Namhae.”

...

The sun was bright, the air was cool and slightly salty, and it was execution day.

Seonghwa couldn’t eat. He could barely move without troubling his stomach. Junhee had told him it was fine if he didn’t want to come, thinking he was sparing his brother more violence that could just be added like any other incident to the list of unfortunate experiences he had endured.

But he insisted on going, because he needed to see for himself. He needed to be there in case Hongjoong’s plan— whatever it was— took a turn for the worse.

The brothers arrived early in the square and listened idly to the crowd as they gossiped. Pirate executions in the morning were just more free entertainment to the rabble of Namhae.

“I’ve heard he’s of short stature actually,” a woman to his left tutted to her companion. 

“Nonsense,” came the scandalised response. “My brother survived his attack on their ship last fall and told me he was quite the figure— fiery eyes and bright clothes and at least six feet tall.”

“He must have mistaken another pirate for him then,” the first voice argued in a high pitch. “Or else he’s been wearing very tall boots.”

“Well I don’t think they’ll hang him in those, so we’ll see how tall he is for ourselves, won’t we?”

Seonghwa scoffed that this was what the audience concerned themselves with.

“Do you think we’ll tar him before or after he hangs?” A guard was giggling with another. Seonghwa choked on air and put as much distance between himself and that guard as possible. 

He quit trying to peer over heads at the end of the road and went to his brother’s side.

It was no use because Junhee’s conversation was equally foul.

“I’ve decided to display the body by the harbour when the deed is done,” Admiral Kim chatted as if he were discussing the pleasant weather, not killing a man. “It will most certainly deter any followers from resuming their criminal activity in the absence of their leader.”

Seonghwa shook with rage while the man sauntered over to the rest of his regiment, but held in his remark at the hand Junhee placed on his shoulder. “Try to calm down,” his brother whispered urgently. “There’s nothing to be done.”

Seonghwa nodded and clasped his hands together. He would need every ounce of sanity left in him to get through this event.

The buzz of the crowd intensified as the star of the show appeared in the street.

He was dragging his chains with him but stood strong with his nose pointed high. Seonghwa was still stiff with worry but thankful Hongjoong had his dignity with him at least.

And no, he was not wearing boots.

He hadn’t spotted him yet, eyes fixed on the gallows that awaited him at the end of his march, and Seonghwa wasn’t sure if he wanted to be spotted. It was inevitable with the royal entourage accompanying him, but Seonghwa was still afraid to even be watching.

A tomato hit Hongjoong squarely in the face and the speed with which he turned his head to find the culprit was frightening.

Intimidated enough, no one else dared to throw fruit while the red juice dripped off his cheek.

Until he turned back around and another came flying, this time missing its mark and soiling the uniform of one of the guards escorting him.

Hongjoong’s laugh rang out and Seonghwa tried to relax, willing whatever mysterious rescue was coming to his captain’s aid to get there now while they were distracted.

As Hongjoong caught sight of the princes, his smile waned. His eyes were full as he was led the rest of the way up the platform, but he didn’t utter a word to blow Seonghwa’s cover.

Hongjoong maintained eye contact until the noose was forced over his head and he turned to look at the Admiral.

A cold blooded man exacting his vengeance.

The smile that shone on his face made Seonghwa sick.

“Any last words?”

_Any minute now, any minute now..._

“I’ll say my last words when it’s time for them,” Hongjoong bit back, glaring at the Admiral as if he’d gladly die burning holes into him. “So I’m afraid you’ll just have to wait.”

The executioner unlocked his cuffs and offered him a bottle of ale. It was simple courtesy, after all, to supply the liquid fortitude themselves.

“Why are they unbinding him?” Seonghwa whispered to Junhee, fighting back a glimmer of hope.

“They want to watch him struggle,” the Crown Prince answered sadly. “It’s cruel but it can’t be helped.”

Seonghwa didn’t even bother responding, pulling his clasped hands to his mouth and holding his breath.

_Any minute now..._

Drums were beating loudly as Hongjoong downed the bottle and smashed it on the ground.

“You’ll regret this,” he whispered, already feeling the rope chafe his neck. It was angled to snap it as soon as he was dropped, or else subject him to the slow death of asphyxiation, and the executioner’s hands were itching to pull the lever.

“By decree of Admiral Kim on authority of His Majesty the King as duly appointed representative, this man, Kim Hongjoong, is convicted of piracy and sentenced to hang by the neck until dead.”

Now a soldier was rattling off a scroll and Seonghwa was seconds away from grabbing the gun of the guard nearest him and targeting the Admiral himself.

_Any... minute..._

The reading was finished and the man stepped off the stage. It was the Admiral who gave the signal.

The drums stopped beating and Seonghwa caught his breath. There weren’t any minutes left.

The lever was pulled and the floor opened with it.

An explosion shook the town hall, blowing out the windows in a blast of fire, and foreign soldiers poured into the square, bullets flying every which way as the crowd dispersed.

Seonghwa lost sight of Hongjoong in the screams and chaos, but made to run to him when a bodyguard blocked his path.

“Prince Seonghwa, we need to get you to safety—“

“No, I need to see,” he argued, grabbing the man to shove him out of his way. “Please, just let me...”

But the guard was stronger. 

Seonghwa felt himself be dragged off, out of the square, and down the street before he got his feet under him and brushed the man off. He would much rather go willingly, if he had to.

Suddenly, he was worried for Junhee and searched the writhing crowd for him, with the sunlight catching on the gold and jade of a crown driving him in that direction.

“Seonghwa!” Junhee had seen him as well, grasping his hands and running with him while the guards formed up around them like human shields. There was a bleeding cut in his cheek from the graze of a bullet. A couple of inches to the right and Seonghwa would have become the crown prince just like that.

Shots were fired from every direction and suddenly Seonghwa was afraid they wouldn’t reach the residence fast enough.

The sudden squelch of the man next to him being hit and immediately trampled in the crowd confirmed it, and he drew his gun and fired it at the offending soldier. 

The man’s face was shocked as he toppled over and Seonghwa had no time to ogle his foreign uniform, the likes of which he had only seen in paintings and history books.

“Hurry, Seonghwa, this way,” Junhee panted and his grip around Seonghwa’s wrist tightened. His vision had gone red and he shook so violently it almost interrupted his strides as he ran full speed toward the temporary palace.

He didn’t know why war was breaking out around him or how Hongjoong was connected to it, but he hoped it didn’t kill him before he got the chance to go back for him.

If this was the escape plan, it was already backfiring.

...

“What do we do?” Yunho asked with his voice hushed as they drifted closer and closer to the mysterious ships.

“They’re all congregated in front of the island,” Mingi pointed out. “We’ll just have to try to pass them.”

Yunho nodded and tacked accordingly. It was up to Mingi now to steer them through the cluttered harbour space, aiming for the spit of land that was visible to them.

They only made it within range of the closest ship before they were being fired upon.

Yunho stumbled back from the edge of the boat and drew his gun to return fire while Jongho covered him.

“What are they thinking?” Jongho grumbled, indicating the mast. “We aren’t flying colours, we look like a civilian boat. What do they mean by firing on us?”

“It’s not just us,” Yunho gasped as he spied plumes of smoke rising from the town. It was being sacked right in front of them.

And not by pirates, these were soldiers.

This was a planned attack.

He was shaken out of it by a cannon shot landing in the water right in front of him and hurriedly rifled through their stores to look for anything they could defend themselves with.

Jongho succeeded in picking off a few of the enemy’s gunners but their bullets were nothing to the fleet’s heavy firepower.

“We’re going to be blown out of the water,” Mingi panicked, just barely steering them out of the way of a cannonball headed straight towards them.

Yunho turned to congratulate him, but even before he could get the words out another shot came flying from a different ship and landed in the middle of their boat.

The boat seams that had held up so beautifully in the storm were undone in seconds and before he knew it, the boat was sinking.

“The sail!” Mingi yelled until water washed over him and garbled his words. “Save the sail—“

Yunho threw himself at the mast for support, losing sight of the Jongho and Mingi. The lightweight fabric of the sail covered him and he had to kick viciously to keep himself from being drowned. 

Planks popped up out of the water all around him, riddled with grapeshot the moment they surfaced and as Yunho floated in to shore under the canvas cover of the sail, he dipped under the waves frantically, looking for the others and praying they hadn’t been shot.

He caught sight of an unconscious Mingi and dragged him over to the sail, wrapping his limp arms around the mast and slapping his back until he coughed up the water he had swallowed and came to.

Mingi started and opened his mouth to speak but Yunho shushed him. The enemy was searching above and would smoke them out of the wreckage if they so much as breathed too loudly.

“Jongho...?” Mingi whispered hoarsely, already assuming the worst, and Yunho was prepared to dive back under to look for him when a hand grabbed his leg firmly.

It was Jongho, breathing easily underwater and motioning ahead at the island.

“He’s going to push us,” Yunho realised, nodding his consent and clinging onto the mast himself as Jongho swam hard beneath the waves, nudging the fallen mast along at a pace that hopefully looked natural from the surface.

Yunho kept his gaze on the land in front of them. It was burning and crying out and he needed to know what was going on.

While shells rained down around him, his thoughts went to the other officers probably caught in the chaos of the town.

They needed to find them and get out of this place, before the situation got any worse.

...

“You want to go back out there?” Junhee was completely and utterly shocked at Seonghwa’s foolishness. “Absolutely not!”

They had only just arrived at the residence and bolted themselves in while the chaos outside quelled into an aftermath and guards by the dozens were stationed all around them, the blood of their brothers-in-arms swimming in the streets.

And Seonghwa wanted to go back out there?

“Hyung, if you would just listen—“

“They’ll kill you the moment you step outside, Seonghwa, this is not a conversation we need to have,” Junhee said firmly, wiping his cheek with a cloth more aggressively than was necessary.

The slice in his skin stung a bit, but it was nothing to the bullets lodged in some of his guards.

The moment he got his hands on whoever was responsible—

“Hyung, please!” Seonghwa took him by the shoulders and forcefully turned him around.

As soon as Junhee’s attention was on him, the words he was trying to ask seemed to be stuck in his throat.

“At the execution, the pirate, I need to know, is he—?”

“Dead,” Junhee answered quickly, eyes fastened to the windows. More assassins could arrive any minute. “He’s dead, I watched him fall.”

Seonghwa dropped to the floor in shock.

When Junhee turned back to look at him it was like he had been struck into a stupor. 

“He was your friend,” Junhee realised out loud, as if he hadn’t really guessed the significance of that fact before. Seonghwa had been one shove away from the edge all week and now it made sense.

“Junhee, he... he was...” Seonghwa trembled and clamped a fist over his mouth to trap a sob. “Please tell me you saw wrong, I’m begging you, please...”

A whimper escaped him when Junhee couldn’t answer and it was the gateway to a flood of tears that couldn’t be stopped.

Junhee muttered nonsense while he held him, shushing his cries before they attracted the enemy.

He had assumed that his brother had requested the freedom of the pirates out of his own misplaced kindness, out of the purity of his character. After all, he had travelled with them and lived to tell the tale.

But Seonghwa mourned as if his own heart had been snapped on that rope and he was lonely and friendless in a world of murderers.

If he didn’t take a deep breath soon he was going to pass out.

“Please, Seonghwa, I need you to calm down—“

“How would _you_ feel?” Seonghwa suddenly yelled, pulling away with his wet face an angry red. “How would you feel if I was taken from you?”

“You _were_ taken from me,” Junhee argued. “And I didn’t rest a single day until I found you again.”

“Then how can you tell me to be calm? How can you tell me to be quiet? He’s _never_ coming back, Junhee, and it’s my fault but it’s yours too.”

He stumbled back until he was on the floor again with a fresh wave of tears coming on. “It’s my fault...” his voice broke and his weeping began anew.

Junhee felt pity grab hold of him and he rushed forward to hold Seonghwa again. He felt horrible for arguing back like that, when his brother was clearly lashing out in pain. There was nothing else he could do for the present but rub his back and let him cry it out.

A knock at the door made them both nearly jump out of their skin.

“Who is it?” Junhee called roughly, fingers inching toward his gun.

“It’s Lee, Your Highness,” came the familiar voice of the head bodyguard. “A messenger has come from the palace.”

Junhee bade them enter and gasped at the blood leaking from the messenger’s back. “He was shot on the way here,” Lee explained. 

The man kneeled before the princes and caught his breath, grunting the message that had almost cost him his life.

“Your father is dead. Assassins from the Haemin Kingdom killed him, as they intend to kill you.”

Seonghwa’s ears were ringing.

“Our country is at war.”

...

Hongjoong’s eyes shifted under their lids until he mustered the strength to open them.

A flake of something stuck to his eyelash, and from its white colour he presumed it to be snow. The first snow of the winter.

The ground was cold underneath him and a chill worked its way to his heart before he realised he must be dying.

It was ash, not snow. The island was burning.

The white that filled his vision was raining down as screams pierced the air and dispersed with the wind. 

No visions had come and it didn’t seem to Hongjoong like his neck was broken, but he didn’t have another experience to really compare it to.

Hongjoong giggled as boots flashed across his vision. Suddenly he was a boy again, washed up on the beach while someone dragged him out of the waves.

How ironic that he, a pirate, lay there motionless again while soldiers ransacked the town.

But no Navy soldiers; enemies of another kind.

The laugh caught in his throat and blood bubbled to his lips. His brow furrowed in confusion because he didn’t remember being shot. 

Maybe it was the cough racking him that scraped up his throat. Hongjoong was too tired to care.

The sun was veiled behind clouds just thick enough that he could look without being blinded. He made out its perfect shape, laboured breaths soothed by its presence.

Were his parents waiting for him?

Hongjoong was tempted to find out. He liked to think he had a choice in these things, just as it had been his choice to set sail and to stand for his men.

His men.

They were more than that to him. And he hoped as his eyes fell shut that they were far away, together, and safe.

But what he wouldn’t give to see them again...

He didn’t want to die alone. He didn’t want to die right now _at all_— he was supposed to make it. The attack was supposed to come just a minute earlier than it had.

He had asked them to trust him.

The sounds faded with every moment the darkness advanced. The world closed in around him and suddenly it was night.

Hongjoong strayed in his mind to dreams he had never visited, and patiently waited for the answer.

_What next?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay congrats, you made it, take a few deep breaths!!!!!!
> 
> This volume of Treasure is officially concluded 🎉 but don’t worry I’m already hard at work on the next one. I think, in terms of interactions, this has been the most successful so far so thank you so much guys and please anticipate the next instalment :)
> 
> I’m always free to hear your comments, thoughts, theories, incoherent screams, etc on Twitter @tiny_tokki or my CuriousCat or wherever else you find me. Have a good one and see you next time <3

**Author's Note:**

> Hmu on tumblr (@atinytokki) ask box and freetalk with the characters always open! Or if you’re a twitter person hmu @tiny_tokki for my CC!


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